Tangled
by poetic.cheese
Summary: Moving back to small town life wasn't something Bella looked forward to, but she got more than she bargained for in the quiet town of Forks. AH, A little OOC. Rated M for language and possible future lemons.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first story, so go easy on me. I'm pretty sure the whole thing will be in BPOV, but it might change later depending on how I feel. It'll take a few chapters to get to the really good stuff, so bear with me.

Special thanks to Project Team Beta for doing an amazing and speedy job! I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a beta… they do great things!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters written by the ever so lovely Stephenie Meyer.

___________________________ BPOV

I walked out the glass doors of the William H. Fairchild airport in Port Angeles, scanning the parking lot for my father. He was supposed to meet me at the baggage claim. I was none too happy when I spotted the chief's cruiser, sticking out like a sore thumb in the small sea of cars waiting to pick up their loved ones. I stalked over, dragging my oversized luggage behind me. It was raining, of course, as I angrily but cautiously stomped my way around the puddles that threatened my already compromised sense of balance. He finally saw me and hurriedly got out of the cruiser, opening the trunk for my suitcases. He smiled a crinkly-eyed smile and gave me an awkward hug. When I glared at him, he realized this wouldn't be a happy reunion.

"You were supposed to meet me at the baggage claim. I waited. You weren't there" I huffed.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Bells. I got a little caught up at work and I just got here. I figured you'd be waiting, and hell would've frozen over before I got a decent parking spot and I just--"

I cut him off. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just go." I got into the cruiser, staring out the window and not making eye contact.

The ride to Forks seemed to take a lifetime. Awkward silences and small talk weren't really my idea of fun, and I couldn't wait to get to Charlie's house. I really just wanted to see Jake. He was probably the best part of my moving to Forks. I hadn't seen him since Christmas, and that was almost a year ago. I split holidays and summer vacations between Renee and Charlie; last Christmas was Charlie's turn. Jake was the only thing I had to look forward to upon my returns. Not that Charlie was so bad. It was just awkward to be around him. Before my journey into "womanhood," Charlie and I were much closer. Renee tried to prepare him for the changes in my body and the hormonal mood swings, but in the end I think it just sent him off the deep end. He's treated me like a ticking time bomb ever since, and no amount of coaching from Renee could shake his unusual attitude.

That brings me to another subject: Renee, my mother and best friend. When Phil proposed to her, Renee asked for my blessing. Had I known I'd be moving in with my father, to the wettest place in the continental U.S., I probably would've reconsidered. I forgive her for shipping me here, though. Newlyweds need to spend some time alone. I understand, I really do. Staying in a room down the hall from a pair of starry-eyed newlyweds just isn't good for anyone's sleeping habits. It might possibly make a person pull out copious amounts of hair, throw up, or beg said newlyweds to admit said person to the loony bin. I may or may not have done all of those things. So, when Renee suggested that I stay with Charlie for a while, at least my eyelids agreed.

When we pulled into Charlie's driveway the rain was starting to subside. I could see Jake through Charlie's living room window, pawing at the glass and panting heavily, waiting for my arrival. Charlie must've told him I was coming. I just couldn't wait anymore and swung the cruiser's passenger door open before Charlie had even come to a complete stop. He yelled something in my direction, but I didn't hear him. I just ran toward the house. I couldn't wait to give Jacob a big kiss and an even bigger hug. When I reached the front door I turned the brass knob and pushed, hard. It wouldn't budge.

"Charlie! Hurry!" I pleaded.

He was trying to drag out the enormous suitcase in the trunk. He looked up and lifted his hand, dangling his keys at me, teasing my emotions. I didn't think twice. I ran as fast as I could without tripping myself, grabbed the keys from his hands, and ran back to that evil front door. When I finally got it unlocked, I already heard all the crashing of inanimate objects from Jacob's bouncing excitement. I burst through that damned door, fell to my knees, and let all the loving and kisses envelope me until I was finally able to give some of them back.

"Jake! I missed you so much!" I pulled his body to mine, letting him lick my face even more. I remembered the day I first saw him.

I was seven years old, spending the summer with Charlie. I had no friends and he noticed that I was getting lonely and homesick, so he suggested that we make a run to the pet store to pick up a fish or something to keep me occupied. As soon as we walked in, I was drawn to a crate full of German shepherd puppies. They were barking and yelping, their little puppy eyes just begging every person entering the stuffy store to give them a nice home. I knelt down next to the crate and picked up the prettiest puppy. He was chocolate and copper colored, and he licked my nose. I fell in love.

"Daddy! Daddy! I want him!" I begged.

"Bells, honey, how about a fish? Look at these here! They're purple. Your favorite color!" He pretended to be excited. He knew that I knew it was just a fish. I was determined to get this dog.

"But daddy," I frowned and hugged the dog tightly to my cheek. "I want him."

Charlie looked at me with sympathetic eyes. I could tell he was thinking that bringing me to a pet store was a bad idea, but he could not say no to his seven-year-old little princess. He'd rather have taken a gun to his head than see the disappointment in my eyes. We both knew that this dog would be coming home with us, no matter the cost, and Charlie just gave in. I named him Jacob, after a boy I had a crush on in school back in Phoenix. I kissed him, and he told the entire class that I had cooties. That day, when I came home crying, Renee told me that all men are dogs. It was only appropriate.

Jake was now all grown up, and boy, was he grown up. His head was the size of mine. Actually, come to think of it, his entire body was almost the size of mine. His leg muscles were well defined, even under that blanket of fur. He could clobber me with one jump, and he made it a point to do that often. There were many times when I'd have the wind knocked right out of me because Jacob got too excited.

I could hear Charlie outside throwing different expletives around left and right. It appeared that he'd gotten one of the wheels of my largest suitcase stuck on the edge of one of the stairs, causing it to wobble around and knock itself, along with all my other luggage, back to the bottom of the stairs. I chuckled to myself and left Jacob in the living room momentarily to help Charlie. He yelled at Jacob when he came into the house, only to see about five different picture frames broken on the floor. Jake hid by me, the big baby.

_________________________________

I lingered in the small closet of my small room, taking in the smell of Phoenix from the various jeans and sweaters that hung on the cheap wire hangers that Charlie provided for me. I missed it already.

"Hey, Bells, come down here for a minute," Charlie yelled up the stairs.

I lingered for another moment or two and gathered up the strength to walk down the steep stairs. Traveling takes a lot out of a person.

I sat on the black plushy couch adjacent to Charlie's very worn-in recliner, where he resided for the moment. Jake immediately jumped on the couch next to me.

"I enrolled you yesterday for school. You start on Monday," he said flatly while staring at the flat screen TV hung on the wall, watching some kind of sport. Baseball, I think. I didn't pay much attention. "You're going to need some supplies for school. You know, pencils, paper, that kind of thing. I'll take you tomorrow morning before work, if you want."

"Sounds good," I replied, halfheartedly. I was terrified of my first day at Forks High School. God knows how many mishaps I get my clumsy self into, but throw rain and ice on top of that and you've got a recipe for disaster. Oh, joy.

Charlie looked at me, away from his beloved TV. "Bells, you know, I'm really glad to have you here. You probably think it's lame to be here with your old dad, but you really don't know how happy I am to have you. I've missed you so much."

Touching, really. It goes to show, he really can be a softy. I got up and gave my dad a big hug. He kind of just sat there and patted my back a little. I let go of him, and he smiled.

"Thanks, Charlie, but if you don't mind, I'd really like to go finish unpacking and head to bed. I'm pretty jet-lagged."

"Oh, right, sure." He straightened up and turned back to the screen and then quickly turned back to me. "Hey, wait, are you hungry or anything? I could order a pizza."

"No, I'm fine. I just really want to get everything done and go to sleep."

"Right." He turned back to the screen.

"Come on, Jake," I patted my leg and motioned for him to follow me.

An hour later I was done packing. Jake lay at the foot of my bed, watching my every move. I grabbed a pair of old sweats and a white tee shirt and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Ugh, I forgot. I had to share the bathroom. It seemed gross for some reason. I was so used to having my own bathroom in Phoenix. Now I really missed it.

I took an extremely quick shower, threw on my PJs and headed to bed. Jake stayed at the foot of the bed, and sleep quickly took me as soon as my head hit that purple feather pillow.

_________________________________

I awoke from a dreamless sleep to the sound of a car horn beeping from Charlie's driveway. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. 7:00 a.m. Shit. I groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over my head, but the damned car horn really wanted my attention. I got up slowly and walked through the hall and into Charlie's office at the front of the house. I looked out the window and saw Charlie waving up at me from the inside of a beat-up old red Chevy truck. What the--?

I walked downstairs, still half asleep, slid on a random pair of shoes laid out by the door, and walked outside in my pajamas. I should've grabbed a sweater.

"Look, Bells!" He motioned for me to come toward him.

I leaned on the side of the truck and yawned. "Cool ride, Charlie, but I'd really like to sleep for at least one more hour. I'm still exhausted."

"Alright, but I need to get to work, so you can take your new truck to town later when you're ready. I'll leave some money on the table."

"Sounds good," I yawned again, walking back to the house. "Wait, my truck?" I turned around suddenly, gaping at Charlie, who had a wide grin plastered on his face. He nodded. I jumped, screamed, and fell. Crappy attempt at excitement. Charlie rushed over to me and helped me up, but I just jumped right back up and gave him a humongous hug. He patted my back again. Maybe the hugs weren't working out so well.

"So, you like it? I bought it last week, but the guy said it needed a tune-up. I knew I was going to pick it up this morning, so I kept it a surprise."

"Do I like it? Are you kidding? I love it! Charlie, thank you so much!" I almost jumped up again but then quickly remembered my fall when my wet pajama pants clung to my also wet butt. It was going to take awhile to get used to all these puddles.

Charlie handed me the keys. "Alright, kid. Well I really have to get to work. Will you be okay going to town by yourself?"

"Dad, go. I'll be fine. I'll probably just spend the whole day in town looking around, anyway."

"Okay, then. Here's some money. Get whatever you think you'll need." He handed me a wad of cash. I figured it'd be rude to count it right there, so I headed back inside to change. I was too excited to sleep now.

I counted the money as soon as I got inside. It looked like a lot. A hundred dollars. Way more than enough for school supplies. Charlie obviously didn't know me well.

I threw on a gray hoodie, a holey pair of jeans, and some worn out sneakers. I realized that my hair was falling all over, so I quickly brushed it and took Jake for a short walk around the yard before I headed off for my errands.

The truck roared, and I loved it. The drive to town was a short one, but I had no idea where I could find a store that sold school supplies. The main drag of town was home to a hardware store, a grocery store, and a few other little nondescript stores. I parked along the curb and headed into the nearest set of glass doors.

I walked in and made my way down an aisle, but I had obviously ventured into the wrong kind of store. There was a kayak hanging on a wall with camping equipment, and as I looked around there seemed not to be much of anything but that sort of thing.

"Can I help you?" a voice came from behind me.

I turned around. The voice belonged to a tall, blonde boy with spiky hair and blue eyes. He was fairly attractive, but he didn't really appeal to me.

"Umm… I think I came into the wrong place. I'm looking for school supplies. Do you know where I could find school supplies?"

"Oh! You must be Isabella Swan. I'm Mike Newton." He held out his hand for me to shake. I hesitantly obliged, staring at him.

"I prefer Bella. How'd you know my name?" I bit my lip.

"Oh, well , Bella, it's a small town. Word gets around quick. I'd like to officially welcome you to Forks, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know you." He eyed me up and down. Gross.

"Uh, thanks, but could you tell me where I could find the school supplies?"

"Oh!" he laughed, "Right. Umm. Next door, to the right. Tell them you know the Newtons and you'll get a discount." He winked. Still gross.

"Okay. Uh, thanks." I turned to leave.

"See you tomorrow at school!" he shouted after me, and I could feel his eyes on my ass. Yet another reason why I wasn't looking forward to starting school tomorrow.

I went next door to find exactly what I was looking for. Why didn't I just look at the signs in front of the shops? This one read "Sue's Stationery Needs." The other sign read "Newton's Sporting Goods." Figures. I didn't mention the Newtons for a discount. I'd rather spend the entire hundred dollars that Charlie gave me than mention that puke-worthy jock's name again. I bought a pack of pens, a pack of pencils, a few notebooks, and a few folders. I already had a backpack from Phoenix, and it wasn't worn out yet. No reason to buy a new one. I only spent $15 and I figured that Charlie wouldn't be too pleased with that since he happily handed me too much money, so I looked around for the nearest diner and went in. It was creepily crowded and, like any other small town diner, all eyes were on me the minute I walked in. I could feel my face turn red, and a tall, black-haired waitress hurried up to me with a menu.

"Hi, I'm Leah. I'll be your server today." She handed me a menu in a hostile sort of way, then glared down at me and started walking away. It took me a minute before I realized she was leading me to a table.

She stood in front of a booth in the back corner of the diner with her arms crossed, chewing her gum impatiently. I sat down and she took out her little notepad.

"Whadya want to drink?" she asked, annoyed. I quickly flipped open the menu to view the beverage choices. She didn't look like the kind of person to piss off today, so I quickly decided on orange juice since it was still too early for a soft drink.

A few minutes later, Leah was back with my orange juice, irritated, waiting to write down my order.

"Umm… I think I'll go with the ham and cheese omelet." She grabbed the menu from my hands, practically pulling me with her, and walked back to the kitchen.

People were still staring at me. I blushed more and tried not to look at them. I fidgeted with the napkin dispenser and sipped on my orange juice, feeling the faces on me. I really should've gone with fast food.

What seemed like an hour later, I was finally biting into my omelet, laid on a bed of hash browns. It was heavenly. _Good choice, Bella. Good choice._ I couldn't finish all of it, so I had to take the rest home with me. Jake would thank me later. I paid the bill and whistled on my way out to the truck.

_________________________________

A/N: Second chapter to follow shortly since chapters one and two were originally just chapter one. It was too long.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As promised, here it is. Again, the good stuff will be happening in another chapter or two. Thanks again to PTB! You're wonderful.**

**Disclaimer: I don't in any way, shape, or form own Stephenie Meyer's characters, got it?**

_______________________________

BPOV

I stared up at the big building they call Forks High School. It was so intimidating, and it was scary to think of all the damage I could and probably would do. I got there an hour early to register and to hopefully have time to be able to find all my classes before they started, but I couldn't bring myself to enter. It was just so…big. I sucked in a deep breath and slowly inhaled. "Well, it's now or never, chick," I said to myself.

I walked up to the building slowly, looking down, scared to look up. I guess I should look forward, so I don't run into anything and break a bone. With that thought, I looked forward. Bad idea. I got even more knots in my stomach. The school looked bigger with each step I took, if that was even possible. I opened one of the orange-colored double doors with a glass slat in it. There, we go, Bella. Just breathe and walk. No harm done.

I mentally patted myself on the back. No need for me to turn around and run now. I was already inside. I continued walking down a locker-laden hallway, looking for the office. It was nowhere to be found. There were students' paintings and drawings hanging on the parts of wall that didn't have lockers in them. This in particular caught my eye. I stopped to look at it. It was a tree floating in midair with the roots hanging off it like they had come to life, screaming for help. The drawing was dark, painful, haunting, and beautiful. I looked at the bottom right corner to see the signature of the student that drew it. It read in a messy script, "Edward Cullen." Note to self: Meet Edward Cullen, tortured soul.

I continued walking, though I couldn't tear my eyes away from the drawing. It was too beautiful. In the process, I ended up tangling my legs and feet together, falling to the floor; the contents of my backpack spilled everywhere. I looked ahead to see if anyone saw me, but no one was there. I thanked the gods that no one had witnessed this ordeal, until I heard a high-pitched giggling coming from behind me.

"Walk much?" The song-of-a-voice choked out over the laughing. I pulled my body with the little strength I had so that I was sitting, and I looked up. There was a pixie goddess before my eyes; a tiny girl, smaller than me, with short, black, spiky hair, and piercing green eyes. She was dressed modestly yet trendily, sporting tight blue jeans, a plain white tee shirt, a long black mesh cardigan, and black leather heels that I was sure were boots. All in all, this girl was stunning. So stunning that in fact-- and I don't normally think this way-- that I would _so_ do her. Yes, she was that beautiful.

"Are you okay?" She raised her eyebrows at me, and I realized I was gawking.

I looked down, embarrassed. I could feel my face turning rosy by the second. "Yeah. Pardon that spill. I'm a little on the clumsy side." Ha, a little.

I started to pull myself up, and she grabbed my arm to help me. She brushed some dirt off my shoulder, straightened my sweater that had gotten all bunched up around my torso in the leg-tangle, and then helped me pick up the contents of the spilled backpack. How cute.

"I'm Bella." I held out my hand to shake hers.

"Bella Swan, chief's daughter. I'm Alice Cullen," she said sweetly, bowing to kiss my hand like a gentleman in Paris would do. That caught me by surprise.

"Oh, umm. Yeah. Alice. How. What-- umm. Hi," was all I managed to get out.

"Small town," she laughed.

"So I've heard. Cullen. Your brother drew that tree?" I pointed down the hall.

She looked to where I pointed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. Suffering artist type. Gets old pretty quickly."

"Right. So do you think you could point me in the direction of the admission's office? I can't seem to find it for the life of me."

She smiled. "Sure, no problem. Whoever built this school must've been high or something. It's in the back of the building. Come on, I'll take you there." She turned and I followed.

"What are you doing at school this early, anyway?" I asked her, curious.

"Oh, just some business to attend to. You know, people to see, hearts to break." She turned around and winked at me. I felt bad for the sorry bastard who had to get heartbroken over this one. Poor, poor man he was.

After walking down about three different hallways, we finally reached the office. This school was going to be hard to get used to, with my sense of direction not completely there.

"Here we are," Alice motioned towards the glass door, "I'd love to come in with you, but I have that business to attend to. I'm sure I'll see you later, though. Welcome to Forks High School." She smiled a warm, comforting smile and ran off down the hall, her long cardigan flowing in the air behind her like a countess's cape.

When she was visibly gone, I sighed a long, deep sigh and walked into the office. It seemed like a normal high school office: a tall, long desk in the middle of the room, chairs lined up at the nearest wall, file cabinet after file cabinet against the opposite wall, and a short pudgy woman behind the desk.

"Isabella Swan, I presume," the woman behind the desk said as she got up, wiping her face with a napkin.

"Bella," I said dryly, walking towards her.

"Welcome to Forks High School, Bella," she smiled with pieces of chocolate stuck in her teeth.

I sat in that office for a very long time, filling out form after form. I thought Charlie already did this. Then, the worst part, I had to have a chat with the principal. His office was small, about three-fourths the size of the main office. It smelled stale in there. He was old and wrinkly and had crust forming at the corners of his mouth. He almost looked rabid. Gross. Thankfully, he didn't say much. He just looked over the schedule that Ms. Cope, the secretary, gave me. He assured me that I'd have the time of my life (yeah right) at Forks High and that I'd make tons of friends in no time. His reassurance meant absolutely nothing to me. I was as terrified as before.

As students started to fill the hallway, crowding the main office in anticipation of the "new girl," Ms. Cope opened the door and peeked her head out, waving someone into the office. A skyscraper walked in. He had to be about six feet tall, maybe more, muscles protruding from his long arms, a bellowing laugh erupting from his defined chest. I was in awe. Was there something in the water here? Everyone seemed to have superhuman qualities. Maybe he was just on steroids.

"Bella, this is Emmett McCarty," Ms. Cope motioned towards the bear-man, "He'll be showing you around today."

No way. This guy could probably step on me. I was scared and maybe even trembling a little. I held out my hand. He grabbed it and pulled me into a massive hug.

"We hug around here, Bella," I pulled away and he grinned from ear to ear, another laugh bellowing from the depths of his chest. I noticed a blonde girl glaring at me from the other side of the glass door. Huh. Must be the girlfriend. Not a great start, Bella.

Emmett grabbed my hand and opened the door for me, whisking me right past the angry blonde. I could feel her glare burning a hole into my back. Great. Someone already hated me. Thanks a lot, bear man.

Emmett led me down about a million hallways, showing me where all my classes were. He'd grabbed my schedule from my hands about two hallways ago. Apparently, this wasn't going to be so easy. I had to go up and down, around and around to get to each of my classes. The bell rang and people pushed past us to rush to their classes. One of them, a big, football player type, knocked me down in all the commotion. He didn't even turn around to ask if I was okay. The jerk.

Emmett looked down, then up, and yelled, "Crowley, watch where the fuck you're going next time!" He bent down and picked me up, swooping me over his shoulder with no effort whatsoever.

"What the--? Put me down!" I squirmed. He laughed and obliged my demand.

I straightened myself up and he laughed more. I could tell that my uppity attitude at that moment was just killing him. To the point of hysterical laughter. After his bellowing finally subsided, I stared at him. Long and hard. Aside from his intimidating height, Emmett had a kind face. His hair was short and gelled, definitely the works of a jock. He was likeable, though. The big-brother kind of likeable, definitely not the potential boyfriend kind of likeable.

"Come on, there's more of the school to see." He smiled more and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Shouldn't we get to class? The bell rang," I pulled away, confused.

"Nah, Ms. Cope said we could have as much time as we needed getting you acquainted with the school. We can go to class whenever." I shrugged and followed.

Emmett took me to the gym next. It was big. Really big and terrifying. Definitely not one of the places I'd be spending my time. Balls flying at my face from every which way was surely not my idea of fun. This would be my last class every day. _Note to self: skip__ gym_ class as often as possible.

I walked out of the gym quickly after that and waited for Emmett to notice. He was talking to one of the other brainless-jock-looking guys that were shooting basketballs at a hoop. It took all of five seconds for him to notice that I was gone. He peeked his head out from the heavy double doors, looked around, and nearly knocked his face into mine. He must've been bending down pretty far to get that close to my face. I told him of my fear of sports. He poked fun at me. I glared. He laughed.

We were sort of just wandering the halls and talking after he'd shown me the best routes to my classes, twice.

"So your girlfriend. What's her name?" I asked, shyly.

"Oh, ha. Rose. Rosalie Hale. Don't mind her. She gets a little jealous."

"A little? She was about ready to pounce on me and rip my throat out when you escorted me out of the main office. I'm a little afraid for my life."

"Don't be. She's mostly harmless."

"Mostly?" I asked, intrigued, and still scared.

"Physically, she's no harm to anyone aside from the occasional hair-pulling, which I will totally not go into for the sake of your virgin ears, but-- "

"Hey! How do you know I'm a virgin?" I interrupted, a little offended.

"You're denying it, then?" He chuckled.

"Well, no, but--"

"Exactly." He returned the interruption.

Things were quiet for a while and I enjoyed just roaming the halls with my new bear friend, when I started to get curious.

"So what do you know about the Cullens?" I tried to be subtle. It totally didn't work.

"The Cullens are quite the pair. Have you met them?" He seemed to know something. He quirked his eyebrows in interest.

"Well, I met Alice, but I saw one of Edward's drawings and it was really good," I admitted.

"Alice, huh? Catch any off-kilter vibes about her?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. He laughed. Hard.

"Oh, nothing. So Edward, huh? He's really weird and really annoying with his emo shit, which I completely do not get.

Their dad's a doctor and pretty wealthy. They live in a mansion with basically no cares in the world. I don't see what he has to be all broody about." He slid his fingers against the lockers as we walked down another hall.

The bell rang.

"Well, if you don't mind, Bella, it's lunch time and my stomach is growling." He seemed more excited about lunch than his girlfriend.

"Oh, yeah, of course. Do you mind walking me to the cafeteria?" I still wasn't sure about getting around this maze of a school by myself on the first day.

He walked next to me and held his arm out. I laughed, and placed my arm around his. We walked into the cafeteria that way. People stared. Oh boy, did they stare. I insisted that he sprint to the table his Rose was at before she actually did jump up and rip out my throat. I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed a tray. Nothing really looked appetizing, so I grabbed a burger and chocolate milk and walked nervously back into the cafeteria. This was the tough part, deciding where to sit. Deciding which clique would let me sit with them, rather. Emmett immediately waved to me, but Rosalie was giving me the death stare, so I just waved back and headed the other way. It wasn't hard to spot the different groups at each table. Emmett and Rosalie were obviously with the more popular group. A jocks and cheerleaders sort of thing. All the girls were dressed fashionably, checking themselves in their little pocket mirrors to point out their flaw of the day to get the guys' attention. The guys laughed and punched each other, some sort of a manly man thing. I didn't get it. I spotted Alice sitting at a table with two guys. One, with bronze hair, was drawing in a sketchpad. I assumed that was her brother, Edward. The other was a blonde that was staring hard and admirably at Alice. I decided to pay her a visit. She seemed nice enough, and their table was empty, aside from the three. I held tightly onto my tray as not to knock it over on myself. I was too used to that happening.

I sat down next to Alice, smiling.

"Oh, hey, Bella! It's nice to see you again. I kind of thought you'd formed an alliance with Emmett over there when I saw you walking in together. You should've seen the look on Rosalie's face. It was hilarious!" I was relieved that she welcomed me sitting with her. Nothing's worse than being rejected at a lunch table with all to see.

"Oh, he just showed me around today. This place is so confusing. Whoever designed the blueprints should be shot."

Alice laughed, the blonde half-smiled, and the bronze guy continued drawing away in his sketchpad, not looking up. I glanced at all three of them, one at a time, observing.

"Oh! Duh, I'm so stupid. Bella, this is Jasper," she motioned to the blonde that I could tell wanted nothing more than a hot make-out session with Alice. It pained me to see him looking so helpless.

"And this is the infamous Edward Cullen, my brother," she motioned to the bronze beauty of a man sitting next to Jasper. Edward looked up. His eyes were a deep green, not piercing like Alice's, but greener. Deeper. Pained. His face was smooth, with no blemishes, and he had dark circles around his eyes. His body seemed toned, but not too muscular, from what I could make out through his baggy jeans, tee shirt, and black trench coat. His hair was wild but clean.

"Hi," Edward looked up for a slight moment, enough to mutter out the simple word that made my heart shatter. He had the voice of an angel, similar to his sister's, but obviously much deeper. His voice was even more pained than his eyes. I wondered in silence for a long time what would cause this beautiful man to be so hurt. I immediately wanted to inflict unspeakable torture on whomever had caused Edward to seem so… blank.

I realized that I was gaping at him and quickly shook it off. Alice gave me the rundown on most of the people in the cafeteria. Emmett was the only decent jock. Rosalie was an ice bitch that could destroy anyone's social life with the spread of a rumor. Mike Newton was a pervert, after anyone with breasts. Jessica, Newton's girl du jour, Angela, and Lauren were an unbreakable trio that held auditions for people to hang out with them, and they only dated jocks. Tanya and her pack of Goth-looking kids sat at the other end of the cafeteria. The girl sitting next to her, crying, was identified as Irina by Alice. Edward seemed to fit in with that group, but Alice said she insisted on him keeping her company. Tanya kept glancing over at our table. So did Irina, still sobbing.

I was told to stay far, far away from pretty much everyone else if I ever wanted any chance to be normal. Duly noted.

After the lunch bell rang, we all walked to the trash cans in the front of the cafeteria to dispose of our leftovers.

"What class do you have now?" Alice asked. I dug out my schedule from my front pocket, unfolded it, and looked it over.

"Umm… biology with Mr. Banner?" I looked at Alice.

"Oh! That's Edward's next class." She looked at him, but he was already out the door. _So much for being friendly to the new girl._ I bid Alice adieu, promising to get together with her sometime. She seemed like a nice person. Helpful, at least.

__________________________________

I took Emmett's short cut to the biology classroom and entered before the bell rang. Mr. Banner introduced me to the class, which was completely embarrassing and unnecessary since the word about my coming had spread like wildfire before I'd even arrived in Forks. He told me to have a seat next to Edward. _Great._

I sat down, and Mr. Banner started handing out slides and told everyone to open their textbooks. We were studying some kind of amoeba or something. I don't know. I'm not very good at this kind of thing. Little, slimy, wet things aren't very appealing.

Edward ignored me during most of the class and continued that damned doodle he'd been working on at lunch. I tried looking over his shoulder to catch a glimpse, but he kept moving his arms to cover it.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Except for the last class of the day, of course: gym. I talked Coach Clapp out of making me participate in volleyball for the day, making up some lame excuse about the stress of being the new girl. He bought it, for now. Tomorrow it wouldn't be as easy to talk him out of it.

I waved at Emmett on my way out to the parking lot and found Alice leaning against the hood of my truck. Edward was sitting in the driver's seat of the silver Volvo parked next to my truck, impatiently waiting for her to get in. I quickly walked over to her and threw my backpack in the bed of the truck. "Hey, Bella, do you want to hang out later?" _Girl got right down to business._

"Umm… Well I have to make dinner for my dad. He's a pretty bad cook. But we can hang out later, if you want."

Alice squealed and jumped on me, pulling me into a tiny hug. "We're going to be such great friends, Bella!" I think I heard Edward growl as he laid his hand on his car's horn. Alice turned and stuck her tongue out at him. That didn't please him.

I wrote down Charlie's home phone number on a piece of paper in one of my fresh notebooks. I ripped the paper out and gave it to her.

"Here's my number. Call me later and I'll give you directions to my house." Alice squealed again and got into Edward's car. His tires mocked Alice's squeal, peeling out of the school's parking lot.

________________________________

**A/N: May take a little while to get the next one done, as it isn't written yet. Review it if ya want the good stuff! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3 Part One

**A/N: **This has been a long time coming. It took a lot of hard work to get this chapter the way I wanted it. I want to thank all of the people that made this possible:** thejmeyer**, **Project Team Beta**, **EmmettGirl**, and everyone else that have been supportive during this process. Thank you so much!

**Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of Stephenie Meyers' characters, which are written into the following piece. **

**BPOV**

The past week went by extremely fast. Alice came over and hung out, impressing Charlie with her good manners and politeness. She spent a lot of this past week over at the house, actually, and it kind of surprised me when she asked me over to her house today. I was a bit nervous just thinking about meeting her rich parents, and being in the same house as dreamy Edward. He'd finally started talking to me in biology, and he really wasn't as intimidating as I first thought. When he talked to me, he looked me in the eyes. When he talked about art, his face grew more animated than the typical teenagers around us, who got all giddy over sports or the newest makeup trends. His pale skin turned the most delicious shade of pink when someone would give him a compliment. His only downfall was that he already had a girlfriend, Tanya.

It was Friday afternoon during gym class. I was hiding underneath the bleachers to get out of playing volleyball when I spotted Emmett across the room. With Coach Clapp turned the other way, I decided to walk over to Emmett. I hadn't actually had a civilized conversation with him since my first day of school, but then again, Emmett McCarty wasn't really all that civilized. I supposed that's what I liked about him. Emmett knew how to have a good time, no matter the consequences.

"Hey, Emmett. What are you doing here?" I stood on my tip-toes to tap him on the shoulder.

He turned around, "Oh, hey, Bella! I have study hall this hour, so I thought I'd just skip out quietly. How's it going?" _Quietly, yeah right._

"Aside from the occasional fall, I'm doing fairly well, thank you," I said, and he laughed.

We'd stood there in an awkward silence for a few seconds, when he leaned down to my height and asked, "What do you say we blow this popsicle stand?" as he quirked up his eyebrows and grinned.

"Oh, well, okay. Sure. Just let me change." He walked with me toward the girls' locker room and waited outside the door while I changed and gathered my belongings. When I walked out, he was leaning against the wall, whistling what sounded like the melody to the Andy Griffith Show, only sloppier. I took his arm and he led me outside and into the parking lot, toward my truck. He pulled the tailgate down and we sat on it. Strangely, it was a nice day outside. No rain, no wet tailgate butts.

"So, how's Forks High treating you, Bells? I see you've become pretty friendly with Miss_ Cullen_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing," he said, grinning, and turned away.

"Come on, Emmett. There seems to be this big secret about Alice that everyone knows but me. I'm getting sick and tired of it!" I growled angrily.

"Come on, Bella. Isn't it obvious?" he asked.

"Uh, not really, Emmett. Just tell me." I pushed him as hard as I could, but he didn't budge. He was amused, and laughed at my feebleness.

"Well, Bella, if you haven't figured it out yet, I think you'd better just wait and see for yourself." He looked up and smiled.

I grabbed a fistful of Emmett's short, curly brown hair in my hand, yanking his head down so that his face was just inches away from mine. "Emmett, so help me God, if you don't spit it out already, I will rip this patch of hair out of your head," I huffed, pulling harder.

I knew Emmett wouldn't be scared of me, but he gave me the benefit of the doubt and acted so. "Geez, Bella. All I'm trying to say is that Alice has a reputation, and I'm surprised to see an innocent girl like you getting so close with a player like her."

I let go of his hair and looked up at him as he rubbed the patch of hair I'd yanked and said, "I'm not _that_ innocent, Emmett, and I don't see what that has to do with me. Anyway, I never really see her running around with any guys."

"You wouldn't," he laughed as the last bell rang, and with that he hopped off my tailgate and walked to his Jeep, waving back at me.

________________________

As soon as I pulled into the driveway and turned my truck's ignition off, I faintly heard the phone ringing. Leaving my backpack in the bed of the truck, I ran toward the door. I flung the door open and ran through the narrow doorway, but Jake's mammoth body tripped me. I was lucky to catch the phone before the answering machine got to it first.

"Bella! You're still coming over, right?" Alice shrieked into the phone before I could even answer.

"Yes. Chill, Alice. I didn't even get the chance to give you a proper phone greeting."

"Oh, right," she said seriously. "I'll hang up and call you again." With that, she hung up the phone. Flabbergasted, I hung up the phone and it immediately started ringing.

"Umm … Hello?" I answered, without a second thought.

"Bella! You're still coming over, right?" Alice shrieked again.

"Alice, you're so weird," I muttered. "And, yes, I'm still coming over. Just give me an hour to cook something for Charlie, and then you can come pick me up."

It took me half an hour to get Alice off the phone. I finally convinced her to let me go when I told her that, if she kept yapping at me, we'd have nothing to talk about when she picked me up. We both knew that wasn't true, because -- if nothing else -- the girl can talk, but she agreed anyway.

Charlie wasn't home from work yet, which wasn't completely unusual for him. Charlie was nothing if not dedicated to his job as the police chief of Forks. He was always happy to stay late and finish up the paperwork that all the other officers were too lazy to do. Sometimes I wished that Charlie was the kind of parent to rush home to spend time with me, like Renee. But other times, like now, I was happy for the fact that he was a workaholic. _Saves me from my daily interrogation._

I opened the refrigerator door, staring hard at its contents and racking my brain for an idea of what to make for dinner. Jake sat patiently next to me on the kitchen floor, looking up at me.

"Well, Jake, what should I cook?" I asked him, as if he'd answer. He panted up at me, and I patted him on the head. There was nothing edible in the fridge, only moldy leftover spaghetti and God-knows-how-old condiments. I don't even think a bum would come close to this kitchen, so I made a note to myself to go grocery shopping as soon as possible. I closed the refrigerator door and then walked to the table and wrote on a notepad:

_**Dad,**_

_**Went to Alice's. Order some pizza. Will be back before curfew.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Bella**_

Then I called Alice. I told her that she could pick me up early, and she squealed in excitement.

____________________

"Alice, what _is_ this?" I asked, staring wide-eyed at the yellow Porsche she had just gotten out of.

"It's my car, Bella," Alice said.

"Wait, _your_ car?" I said, shocked. "But why don't you drive it to school?"

"Edward insists on driving, and our parents make us carpool because it's better for the environment. He refuses to be seen in such a -- and I quote -- 'flashy hunk of metal'."

I gawked a bit more before Alice pushed me toward her extremely expensive looking "flashy hunk of metal". She turned the key in the ignition and the car roared. Not guttural like my truck, but in a new, expensive sports car sort of way. She wore a smile from ear to ear before she slammed on the accelerator and all but flew down the road. When we were about halfway to her house, I glanced over at the speedometer. She was going almost 100 miles per hour. I held the seat very tightly and just tried to focus on the road ahead of us. _Breathe, Bella, breathe._

After driving for about five minutes, Alice took a sharp turn down a narrow road. Trees surrounding both sides of the road made it seem dark outside. The road kept curving, and the high speed of the car was whipping me back and forth like a buoy. Finally, a huge, mostly glass house came into view, and we came to a hard stop in front of a garage door. Alice got out of the car, so I followed. I looked up at the three story house, admiring it. The house looked like Frank Lloyd Wright had designed it himself, not that I knew much about architecture. Alice took me by the hand and led me to the porch and through the front door, which was also made of glass. The living room looked almost sterile-- white couch, white walls, white carpet. A huge flat screen TV hung on the wall in front of the couch.

"Say something, Bella," Alice said quietly.

"Wow," I whispered, not knowing what else to say.

Alice chuckled. "Do you want a tour of the house?"

"I need to be back by 10 p.m., Alice. I don't think we have enough time," I said jokingly with my eyes opened wide.

"Oh, knock it off. It's not_ that_ big," Alice insisted, and pulled me through to the kitchen.

The kitchen looked like something from a cooking show. It boasted a gourmet stove, a stainless steel refrigerator, granite counters, and a huge kitchen island. Everything looked even cleaner than the living room. _They _must_ have a maid._

Next, Alice took me up a flight of stairs and down a hallway with a row of doors.

"That's my dad's office," she pointed ahead. "We're not allowed in there unless we're called in. That only happens when we get in trouble. There's a bathroom down the hall, but you can use my private bathroom if you need to. My parents' bedroom takes up most of the third floor." _Geez._

Then, she pointed down the hall and said with a sigh, "That's Edward's room. He usually locks his door so I can't get in."

She then pulled me to the other end of the hall and opened the door to her room. Her bedroom was _huge_. It was probably the size of Charlie's living room and kitchen put together. She had a king sized bed against the far wall. The fluffy, hot pink bedspread was covered with white swirls. There was a plush white couch on the left wall with pink throw pillows sitting perfectly against the back cushion. The mirrored vanity on the right wall held what looked like hundreds of bottles of hair products and designer perfume. Her giant closet's doorway had pink beads hanging down, in place of a door. When Alice finally spoke again, it made me snap out of my daze and realize my mouth was open.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked, excited.

"Wow, Alice. Your room is _huge_!"

"Yeah." She giggled. "The perks of being the child of a doctor and an interior designer."

She showed me her walk-in closet, which was the size of a large bathroom and bursting with designer clothing and shoes. Then she took me to her bathroom, which was bigger than my bedroom. She had a Jacuzzi tub, a stand-up shower big enough to shelter a small family, a detailed porcelain toilet, a bidet, and a long counter with two sinks. _If you don't close your mouth, it'll get stuck like that, Bella._

After the tour, we just hung out on Alice's bed, talking and looking at girly magazines. The house was really quiet, except for Alice's frequent squeaks.

"Where are your parents?" I asked, flipping a page in the Seventeen magazine she handed me.

"They're working, as usual, but my mom should be home soon. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering. It seems kind of quiet in here. Edward's not home, either?" I tried not to be too obvious.

"I'm not sure. Probably not. He's usually over at Tanya's house." She shrugged.

We (meaning she) talked more about fashion, until we heard the clunky garage door close. Alice looked up and said, "Mom's home. Wanna meet her?"

I nodded and we both got up, and went down the stairs. Her mother was in the kitchen, already taking fresh vegetables out of the refrigerator.

"Mom, this is Bella." Alice nudged me and smiled. Her mom looked up. She was just as beautiful as Alice. Her hair was long and curly, a dark brown color. Her fair skin looked smooth and well taken care of. She was slender and not too tall, maybe a tad taller than me.

She held out her tiny hand and smiled politely. "Bella! I've heard so much about you. It's very nice to meet you. Please, call me Esme." Her voice wasn't as high pitched as Alice's, but still sounded soft and beautiful.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Esme." I shook her hand and smiled back.

Esme gasped like she had a bright idea and asked, "Bella, would you like to stay for dinner? I'm cooking tonight."

"Sure, okay," I said, a little too loudly. Anything that wasn't a whisper seemed too loud in their house. Everything echoed.

Alice laughed and turned to Esme. "We'll be in my room. Just call us when dinner's ready."

Alice asked if I'd help her with her English homework. I agreed, and we tromped back up the stairs. When we reached the upper landing, Alice realized she'd forgotten her backpack. She went back down and as I was about to walk into her room, I stopped, turned, and stared at the door to Edward's room.

After furtively peeking at the stairway to check for Alice's presence, I started walking to the end of the hallway. She wasn't coming back yet, so I took slow, light steps until I reached Edward's door. I felt nervous, like a squirrel crossing a busy highway. Even though Alice had said the door would most likely be locked, I sheepishly tried the doorknob. To my surprise it turned easily and a huge relief washed over me, like the squirrel got across safely. I left my hand on the doorknob and listened for footsteps.

Nothing.

I opened the door a little more and peeked in. The room was dark. I felt along the wall with my hand and flipped the light switch. A ceiling lamp suddenly lit the room up like the sun. The room was a little smaller than Alice's. The plain black curtains that covered the windows matched the unmade bedspread. Books and papers were scattered all around the floor, and on the desk to the left of the door. A few bookcases lined the wall to the right, and they were chock-full of literature. Various drawings hung sloppily on the walls, like collages. I glanced toward the far left wall at his dresser. Clothes were piled next to an assortment of cologne bottles on top of it.

Feeling more confident now, I pushed the door open even more and slipped into Edward's world. I first went to his dresser. I picked up one of the tee shirts piled on top and lifted it to my nose. It smelled just like him: musk and sandalwood. I turned around, glancing at the bed, and noticed a notebook of sorts haphazardly tossed amid the rumpled bed coverings. I walked over and picked it up. It was his sketchbook. As I started to open it, I heard footsteps. Panicking, I threw it back onto the bed and ran out of the room, closing the door behind me. I didn't have enough time to flick the lights off. As I arrived breathlessly in the hallway, Alice was walking toward me.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she eyed me.

"Oh, I -- I was waiting for you," I lied.

"Bella," she laughed, "you could've waited in my room."

As she opened her copy of _Romeo and Juliet_, I couldn't help but wonder what was in that sketchbook. Alice kept reading lines from the book and asking me questions, but I wasn't paying attention. I was imagining trees and hearts and Edward's warm body pressing against mine.

"Bella! I asked you a question," Alice nearly yelled.

"Oh, right, sorry," I apologized. "Umm . . . what was the question?"

Alice rolled her eyes and closed her book. Just then, Esme yelled up the stairs that dinner was ready. We walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Esme and Alice's dad were waiting at the table. Places were already set, and some sort of pasta with a red sauce was piled on four plates. Little sprigs of parsley garnished the food. It looked like something Emeril Lagasse would make. I could just imagine Esme yelling "BAM!" as she flung the parsley on top of the pasta.

"Bon apetite," Esme said as she lifted her fork to dig in.

Alice scarfed down the pasta like she hadn't eaten in days. _Her metabolism must be as fast as her driving._

"Oh, Bella," Esme said, setting her fork down, "Please forgive my manners. I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Carlisle."

I smiled and nodded; he did the same. When we finished, I offered to help clean up, but Esme declined. As he left the room, Carlisle gave Esme a kiss on the cheek, Alice a pat on the head, and me a goodbye. Alice and I followed him out and headed back to her room

She walked over to her vanity and patted the stool, motioning for me to sit. I obeyed, and she started playing with my hair.

"Why don't you ever do anything with your hair, Bella? It's so pretty. I wish mine was as long as yours." Alice met my eyes in the mirror.

"I don't really know what to do. I kind of like it down." I shrugged. Alice continued to gently play with my hair until she had it in a messy but elegant bun. It looked like a professional hair dresser had done it.

She smiled at me and said, "See, it looks nice."

I nodded and smiled back.

"Hey, I have a great idea!" She gasped.

"Oh, no. Now what?" I asked, a little scared.


	4. Chapter 3 Part Two

**(continued)**

"Why don't you spend the night, and then you can spend the day with us tomorrow!"

"I don't know, Alice. All of my clothes are at home, and -- hey, wait. What do you mean by 'us'?"

"I usually make Edward spend Saturday mornings with me. Sometimes Jasper joins us. Why don't you come? We can go out for breakfast and do something fun after!"

"Umm . . . Okay, but what am I going to wear?" I asked. There was no way I would fit into her clothes.

"We'll figure something out."

I thought for a moment. "Okay. Just let me call Charlie to let him know."

Alice handed me her cell phone. I dialed the number and waited. It rang about ten times before Charlie answered.

"Hello," Charlie answered, making it sound more like a statement than a question.

"Hey, Dad. It's Bella. I just wanted to let you know that I'm spending the night at Alice's and then hanging out tomorrow."

"Aren't you supposed to ask first?" He chuckled.

"Sorry. Can I spend the night with Alice and then hang out with her tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure, Bells. Just be back at a reasonable hour tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Love you, Bells. See you tomorrow."

____________________

Alice threw me a pair of stretchy, pink pajama pants and then showed me the matching shirt. It was small and lacy. I sighed.

"Alice, there's no way I'm wearing that. Don't you have a regular tee shirt or something?"

She glared at me. I should've known better.

"There must be something here you can wear," she said, walking back into her closet. Then she walked right back out, rubbing her chin in thought, "Hmm . . . I'll go see if my mom has something."

She walked out of the room and left the door open. I sat on the bed, waiting, and a few minutes later I saw Edward walking toward his room. He turned around and saw me. He waved and opened his door. The lights were still on from when I had snooped around. He hesitated for a moment before entering and closing the door behind him.

Twenty minutes later, I was still alone. I stared at Edward's door, hoping it would open. About five minutes later it did. Edward was wearing blue plaid pajama pants and an Alice in Chains tee shirt. He looked absolutely _adorable_. He started toward the stairs, but then looked at me and turned back toward Alice's room. He leaned against the doorway.

"Where's Alice?" Edward looked around.

"She wears ridiculous things to bed and I refused to make myself look like that, so she's looking for a shirt for me. I can't believe the girl doesn't own a regular tee shirt."

"Well, you know, I have . . . tee shirts."

"Everyone on the planet except Alice has tee shirts."

Edward frowned. "What I'm saying is that, you know, you could borrow one of mine for the night if all else fails."

"Wouldn't your girlfriend mind if I wore one of your tee shirts?" I said, more angrily than I meant to.

"Who says I have a girlfriend?" Edward quirked up his left eyebrow.

"Well, Tanya _is_ your girlfriend, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess, if you want to call her that." He let out a humorless chuckle and looked away. "Well, have a good night, then."

Edward walked downstairs. I felt a little bad for being mean. Just a little. A short time later, Alice came back carrying a pile of Esme's shirts.

"What are you _doing_?"

"I thought you needed options," Alice smiled.

"Alice, it's just a night shirt. You didn't have to bring your mom's entire closet with you." I laughed and picked out a plain white tee shirt.

We went to bed a short time later.

____________________

I heard some rustling in the room, and suddenly everything was blindingly bright. I opened my eyes to find crazy, bubbly, morning-person Alice was pushing the curtains aside, exposing the unusually intense sun in the Washington sky.

"Alice," I groaned, "Knock it off." I rolled over and pulled the blanket over my face.

"Bella, it's almost eleven. Get up and take a shower." She pulled the blanket off me and dragged me by the arm. I fell onto the floor and we laughed. Alice was already showered, dressed, and made up. She wore a pink tube top, light denim flared jeans, and pink flats. _It must be warm outside._

After our laughing subsided, Alice turned serious.

"Now, Bella, get in the shower and I'll have something ready for you to wear. We were going to go out for breakfast, but _someone_ had to sleep forever, so now we're going out for lunch. Hurry up!"

I obeyed and walked into the enormous bathroom. She'd already laid towels out for me and started the shower. Steam filled the room, just the way I like it. I bathed quickly, wrapped myself in a towel, and walked into Alice's room. She was nowhere in sight, but lying on the bed was an outfit that I assumed was for me. It consisted of a light blue short-sleeved button-down top, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a pair of blue slip-ons. It wasn't exactly what I'd pick out, but it was better than a dress or a skirt. I got dressed and brushed my hair with Alice's brush. After I was ready, I opened the door and walked down the stairs.

Carlisle and Esme were cuddled up on the couch. Even though Carlisle was reading a book and Esme was watching TV, they looked attuned to one another, like both of them were having a silent conversation. I wondered what it was like to be that much in love. I wish I could've seen my parents like that, once upon a time. I was too little when they divorced, so I only remember the bad parts-- fighting, throwing things, and the morning we left. I remember staying with my grandma and grandpa, mom's parents, before mom randomly decided on Arizona. My brain blocked out whatever came after that.

"Oh! Hello, Bella." Esme smiled and waved, snapping me out of my reminiscence. "The kids are waiting in the kitchen."

"Thank you," I said politely and walked through the doorway into the kitchen.

They were sitting at the kitchen table. Alice was flipping through a magazine; Jasper was sitting next to her, looking down at the table; and Tanya was sitting next to Jasper, laying her head on Edward's shoulder. Each of them were in their own little world, only to be interrupted by my presence. They all got up to leave when they saw me and Alice took my hand, smiling wide. We all piled into the Volvo. Jasper, Alice, and I sat in the back, of course. I was in the middle, so I could see the space between the front seats. Tanya placed her hand lovingly on Edward's leg, and then he took her hand in his. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

We drove to the local diner. After the last experience with cranky Leah, I prayed she wouldn't be our waitress. She wasn't around, and I wouldn't have been surprised if she was fired for acting like Cujo, with customers around. We were led to a table and handed menus. During the entire meal, Edward played with Tanya's strawberry blonde hair, and she stared into the eyes that I wanted to be staring into. I could hardly even eat my turkey sandwich.

After lunch, Alice decided we should go to the beach since it was still nice outside. Edward and Tanya walked off somewhere by themselves. Alice grabbed my hand, and Jasper followed us to a large piece of driftwood. We sat down on the makeshift bench and I stared after Edward when he and Tanya walked off into the forest at the left end of the beach. When they were no longer in sight, I looked over to Jasper. He and Alice were staring into the ocean, his arm around Alice's shoulder. I wondered why they weren't dating.

Alice shrugged Jasper's arm off her shoulder and jumped up.

"You guys want to go hiking?" she asked.

"Only if you can promise me that I won't fall," I groaned.

"Yeah, okay," Jasper said, answering Alice.

Hiking wasn't really something I was looking forward to. Random branches, bushes, and other natural things were scattered around just waiting for me to stumble upon them. I hesitated for a minute, trying to think of a way to get out of it. I couldn't come up with anything.

We walked toward the patch of forest that Edward and Tanya had disappeared into. Alice was all smiles. Jasper grinned at Alice's happiness and chuckled at my despair. I grumbled as I nearly fell on a small piece of driftwood lying near the edge of the trees.

There was an angry-looking cliff at the forest's edge that hovered over the water in front of it like a hungry animal about to attack its prey. I wished I could jump off it and get dragged into the current by an angry mermaid, just to get out of the spontaneous hiking trip.

The forest was dark and beautiful, just like Edward. The million shades of green sparkled in the sun, like his eyes. There was a clear trail that we followed into the depths, and the surroundings became even more beautiful as we walked further. Spring birds were chirping and the scene was picturesque, but my sour mood kept me from admiring it fully.

Alice and Jasper were goofing around, poking and laughing at each other. It really annoyed me. I spotted another dirt path, trailing off to the right. "Alice, I'm going to wander this way. This path looks more interesting," I said, as I started moving over to it.

"But, Bella, I wanted to show you this awesome rainbow-colored boulder down this way," Alice said in a disappointed voice, pointing ahead.

I gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Alice, maybe next time. I just feel like thinking, alone. If you don't see me by nightfall, send a search party."

Both Alice and Jasper laughed. "Fine." Alice hugged me and jokingly said, "But don't come crying to me if you get attacked by a wild boar!" I nodded.

Although I was just making an excuse earlier, the trail really was more interesting. There seemed to be more wildlife-- more life in general, actually. Everything seemed to be squirming with life-- trees rocked, fallen leaves wafted, and bushes teetered. After a little more walking, I saw a small family of white-tailed deer off the marked trail. The mama deer ate from one of the bushes to the side, and the baby deer watched me. As I stepped a little closer, to get a better look, the baby stepped back. The mama kept right on eating. I inched carefully, until I was just a few feet away from mama and baby. I wanted to get as close as I could. I felt sneaky, like an international spy, but I just wanted to watch and observe. The markings on the deer became clearer, as I got closer. Three white spots near the rear of baby, made a triangle. Mama's were similar, except I counted seven on her. I really wanted to see if there were the same number of spots on the other sides of their bodies, but I tripped over a branch in the process of circling them, and fell flat on my face. Mama and baby scurried off as soon as they heard the branch crack.

"Great," I said to the seemingly empty forest, pulling myself up. I stood there for a moment, just taking in the mossy smell, until I heard soft voices in the distance. I figured it would be Alice and Jasper looking for me, but then I heard _him_.

"It's nothing, no one's out here," Edward whispered.

I tip-toed to a wide-trunked tree a few feet ahead of me and carefully peeked my head out from behind it. Edward's body was pressed up against Tanya's, and he was kissing her neck. She drew her head back, moaning. His silky, pale hand crept up Tanya's wool sweater and she arched her back, softly saying his name. "Oh, Edward."

My heart sank, and I couldn't help but wish that it was me he was kissing, instead of Tanya. As I shifted myself against the tree, a branch made a loud snap. Edward and Tanya came to an abrupt stop, looking to see what made the noise. Mortified, I ducked back behind the tree. They walked off the other way, and I made my way back to find Alice and Jasper. They were waiting at the head of the trail.

"Find anything interesting?" Alice asked, putting her arm around my shoulder.

"Loads," I said, sarcastically. I didn't want to think, let alone talk about Edward with _her_. I tried listening to what Alice was saying as we headed back to the beach, but the scene kept playing in my mind, over and over again. Why couldn't that be me?

____________________

It started getting cold when we arrived back on the beach. The clouds grew dark, and a light mist crowded the air. It looked like rain. Edward's car was locked, so we had to wait to warm up. Jasper wrapped his arms around Alice to keep her warm. Of course, I had no one. As Jasper and Alice leaned against Edward's car, arms wrapped around one another for warmth, I impatiently paced.

Around twenty minutes later, it had started to drizzle. Edward and Tanya were finally walking out of the woods, and I was shaking from the cold. Minutes before, Jasper offered me a place under his other arm, but I declined. There was only one place I wanted to be, and that was in Edward's arms. Not Jasper's.

"What do you want to do, Edward?" Alice called as she ran up to him.

"I should probably get Tanya home, and I'm sure Bella would like to get dropped off," he said as he looked at me.

"I think I'd like to stay again, actually," I snapped at him. I couldn't get over seeing him with Tanya, and that fact made me bitter. "But I should probably ask Charlie first. I'm sure he won't mind, and then I can grab some clothes from home first. Is that okay, Alice?"

"Of course!" Alice squealed and gave me a hug.

We piled back into the car, and Edward dropped Tanya off. Jasper also got out of the car. He lived down the block from Tanya.

"Don't either one of you want to sit in the front?" Edward asked, looking back at us. We both shook our heads. He frowned and drove off. "You two are making me feel like a chauffer."

At Charlie's, we all got out of the car. When we walked in, Jake jumped up on Edward, and Charlie yelled at the big lug. I patted Jake on the head.

"Dad, this is Edward, Alice's brother," I said by way of introduction, and they shook hands.

Alice, Edward, and I walked up to my room and I regretted not cleaning it before I left the day before. Alice flopped down onto my bed and Edward stood next to her, looking around. I grabbed my backpack and put some pajamas, a shirt, and a pair of jeans into it. I quickly grabbed a bra and a pair of underwear and stuffed them in the backpack, hoping Edward didn't see them. When I was sure I had everything I needed, we headed back downstairs and I told Charlie I was sleeping over again. He patted my back, said goodbye to Alice and Edward, and we were off.

Carlisle and Esme weren't home, so Alice ordered some delivery pizza. Edward hung out with us downstairs while we waited. Alice flipped through channels, sitting on the plush chair against the far wall, and Edward and I sat on the couch. I wasn't really interested in watching TV. Alice got up to go to the bathroom, and Edward turned to me.

"You don't like Tanya, do you?"

"Why do you ask?" I looked down and fidgeted with the hem of my shirt.

"Bella, you were glaring at her all day," he pointed out.

"I just don't think she's . . ." I hesitated, "good enough for you, I guess."

"Oh, really?" Edward snapped. "And you, of all people, would know what's good enough for me?" He crossed his arms and stared ahead. Things were silent until Alice came back, and then Edward stomped upstairs.

"What was that about?" Alice asked as she quirked up her eyebrows.

"No clue," I lied. We watched trash TV until the pizza arrived, and then we ate and watched more TV until Alice got tired, and we went up to her room. We both changed into pajamas and went to bed.

Hours later, I still couldn't sleep. Alice was snoring lightly. I got up and walked downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Edward was sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen island, drinking a glass of milk.

"Oh, Bella. What are you doing awake?" he said, startled.

"Couldn't sleep. I was going to get a glass of water," I said shyly. He got up from the stool and opened a cabinet to get a glass.

As he ran the glass under the tap, he said, "I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier. I just don't understand why everyone hates Tanya. She's really a nice girl, once you get to know her."

I nodded, and he handed me the glass. I sipped it slowly. He sipped his milk at the same speed. When we were both finished, I stood up and put my glass in the sink. He did the same. It felt really awkward, just standing there with him. He broke the tension by poking at my side, smiling like a villain. It tickled. I laughed. He was clearly amused, so he went at it even more. Not being able to restrain my laughter, my arms started flailing uncontrollably. I tried punching him, but it tickled too much.

"Stop it!" I laughed, but he wouldn't stop.

We were both laughing and then he finally stopped, with a serious look on his face. I looked into his green eyes, and he looked into mine. His hand came up and softly stroked my cheek. I wound my arm around to his back and gently pulled him to me. I wanted to be closer to him, to smell the musk and sandalwood. The scent surrounded me, when his face leaned down to mine. My heart raced as I brought my mouth up, wanting nothing more in the world than to kiss him. His lips were as soft as silk. Even though I could feel his cool breath on my lips, I still felt the need to be closer to him. I pressed my lips harder against his, and he hesitated. We lingered for a moment, and I urged forward again. This time, he passionately did the same. His arms wrapped around my entire body, completely encasing me in the sweet scent. I let it take over me, and I no longer felt like myself.

I heard his breaths get heavier, which could only mean that he wanted this, too, right?

Taking that as a sign, I tried for more. I needed more, more of him. I poked my tongue out of my mouth and into his, but he pulled back. I took another step closer to him, lifted myself up to him again, and pressed my begging lips back up to his. He pushed me away.

"Bella, I can't. I'm sorry." He stepped back.

"But Edward, I --" I stuttered. "I like you." I took a step forward so that I was face-to-face with him again.

"Bella, stop. I have a girlfriend. I can't do this." He took another step back before he turned around and rushed out of the room.

I felt so confused, so rejected. I stood by the sink for a while, tears welling up in my eyes. Before a cry choked out of my throat, I ran upstairs into Alice's room and slammed the door. I turned into the dark room and sobbed. I leaned my back against the door and pulled my face into my hands. Alice woke up and ran to me.

"Bella! Bella, what's wrong? Bella!" she cried as she pulled me into her arms. I tried to speak but couldn't. I laid my head on her shoulder and just cried, for what seemed like hours. After a while, Alice pulled my face up with her hands and looked at me. With her thumbs, she wiped the tears from my cheeks. Her tiny hands felt so soft and cool on my raw face. When I looked into her eyes, I felt an instant ease. Everything that surrounded Alice felt warm and comforting. She was the kind of person that whenever she walked into a room, it instantly lit up. Her light was shining on me in my very dark moment.

Alice slowly inched her face closer to mine, and I could feel her warm breath on my face. She smelled like peppermint and honey. She lingered for a moment, and I took in her sweet scent. Then, she closed the last bit of distance between us and pressed her lips gently against mine.

____________________

**A/N:** Nothing like a good cliffie! I told you it'd get good. Review if you want more peppermint and honey ;)


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: This one's a little shorter than the rest, but that's okay. It'll pick up more after this, and prepare for an EPOV and more BPOV! Ten million hugs and thanks to Project Team Beta, thejmeyer, Crystal Ross (Sorry, I don't know your screen name, lol), and Emmettgirl a.k.a. Charlotte ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own any of Stephenie Meyers' lovely characters and any other good stuff that she owns. She does have some kick-ass clothes that I'd like to own, though. Garage sale at SM's soon, perhaps?**

**APOV**

Bella's behavior had been less than appealing after the kiss. After it happened, she ran like a cheetah. She grabbed her backpack and just ran. I finally caught up to her at the end of my driveway and offered her a ride home, but it wasn't easy convincing her that she'd probably have at least a hundred bumps and bruises by the time she got there if she walked. Bella's such a clumsy little thing, and that's one of the things I like most about her — after all, her lack of balance was a big part of how we met.

The ride to Charlie's was definitely awkward. Bella fidgeted and looked out the window. Neither of us spoke. I wanted so badly to know why she was upset in the first place, before the kiss, but I figured that she'd need time to sort things out. Most of the girls I've been with were that way, but they eventually came around. _Bella _will_ come around, right?_

The next day at school was absolutely horrible. Bella avoided me at all costs. She even sat with Emmett McCarty at lunch, even though I could tell she was uncomfortable there. She kept glancing over at our table. I wanted so badly to just run over there and explain everything, but I knew that wasn't possible. She needed time, and I'm compassionate enough to be able give her that. Edward was acting weird, too, but that wasn't unusual. He always had this thing about him. He was always broody, but that particular day he was just . . . extra broody, I suppose. Tanya wasn't throwing herself at him, like she usually did. Maybe they were going through a spell, too.

Jasper, on the other hand, seemed normal. I thanked the gods for that. Jasper had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. He was Edward's best friend, too, but Jasper and I were closer. I shared everything with him, and he shared everything with me. Although he never really had much to share. He'd only had one girlfriend since we'd known each other, but their "relationship" didn't last long. He dated Angela Weber in eighth grade, for a week. Of course, middle school relationships never lasted long.

I nudged Jasper and smiled. He smiled, too, but he always had this sad kind of smile. Whenever I asked him what was wrong, he'd say there was nothing wrong so I'd just let it go. I was sure he'd tell me when he was ready, but he never was. It made me sad that my best friend didn't feel that he could tell me things. I sure abused my right as a best friend to tell _him_ things.

Everyday after lunch, I would walk with Jasper to math class. I figured that today was the perfect time to talk to him about what was going on with Edward.

"Hey, Jazz?" I put my arm around his waist.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You must know what's going on with Edward. Tell me?" I gave him the puppy eyes. It always worked.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "Bella and Edward kissed last night, but Edward pushed her away. Now he's kind of confused, I guess."

"Oh, crap." I stopped walking and put my hands over my face.

"What?" Jasper asked, confused. I gave him "the look" and he got the point. "Oh. _Oh_. Well this is interesting, isn't it?"

"Last night, Bella came running into my room, crying, and I kissed her. At least now I know why she was crying in the first place. Well this is just _great_. My brother and I are kissing the same girl."

Jasper laughed hysterically for a while. "_Kissed_, technically. Neither of you are kissing her now."

"Ugh! Shut up, Jasper!" I punched him in the stomach. "I _so_ do not need this! Bella doesn't need this, either. I'm so stupid."

"Well, Alice," Jasper looked down and continued, "Edward pushed her away. If you like her that much, I suppose you should go for it. Bella would be an idiot not to like you. I mean, Edward loves Tanya, right?"

"Right . . . I think." I looked up at him, and gave him a hug that only reached up to his torso. "Thanks, Jazz. You always know how to cheer me up."

____________________

I stayed true to my word and gave Bella a few days to think things through. The following Friday, though, I was revved up and ready to make my move. I needed to confront her and let her know that I was still there for her. I never wanted to lose Bella completely. Although we'd only known each other for a few weeks, she was my best friend, along with Jasper. I caught her by her truck at the end of the day.

"Bella! Bella, wait! Can I talk to you?" I ran up to her.

She stopped and crossed her arms, glaring at me.

"Bella, I know you're upset, or confused, or mad, or whatever, but please. Just give me five minutes."

"Five minutes," she said as she leaned back against the truck. "That's it."

"Bella, I'm a lesbian," I started.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out myself, Alice," she snapped. "Thanks for telling me, oh, I don't know, _when we met_!"

"What was I supposed to do, Bella? Say, 'Hi, nice to meet you. I'm a lesbian'? It doesn't work that way."

"Well you could've at least told me when we started hanging out," she said softly but still angrily.

"I know, Bella, and I'm sorry," I apologized. "It's just hard to find the right time to tell that kind of thing to a person, and I never expected to really like you. It just sort of happened, and you don't make it hard."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What I mean, Bella, is that you're not exactly a difficult person to develop a crush on."

I stepped closer to her and lightly touched her arm. She blushed.

"Do you think I could come over so we could talk more?" I asked, looking up through my eyelashes.

"Okay, Alice," she sighed. "But we're going to just _talk_. No funny business. You've been the nicest person here, and I just don't want things to get screwed up."

"Deal." I said as we both got into her truck.

____________________

"So which girls in the school have you . . . been with?" Bella looked down as she asked, blushing.

"You really want to know?" I asked, and Bella nodded. "Okay. Well, you can't tell anyone about this because she'd kill me, but Rosalie Hale was my first."

Bella's eyes widened in shock. "You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Nope," I laughed. "It was in eighth grade. We never actually fooled around, but believe me, there were _many_ make out sessions."

"Who else?" Bella asked curiously.

"Well, the day we met was the day I broke up with Irina. Before that it was Jessica Stanley in ninth, along with Angela Weber. I even fooled around with Tanya once, at a party. That was before she and Edward got together. Umm, let's see . . . pretty much every girl other over at the 'popular' table," I said nonchalantly.

"Have you ever been with a boy?"

"There was a kiss with Tyler Crowley in middle school, during a game of spin the bottle, but that's it. I know I don't like boys, Bella. I've never really had an attraction to men."

"What about Jasper?"

"What about him?" I asked confused.

"Oh, come _on_, Alice. You're not blind."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, when I first met you two, I assumed that you were dating. Jasper always has his arms around you, and he gives you that _look_; the look that a person gives another when they're in love with the other."

"I don't know about _in love_, Bella. Jasper used to have a little crush on me, but he knows I don't like men. Besides, with him it'd be too weird. We've been best friends for as long as I can remember."

"Well," Bella sighed, "I still kind of find this all hard to believe. You don't seem like you'd be gay. You're just so . . . _feminine_."

"Well," I laughed, "just because I'm feminine doesn't mean I can't be a lesbian."

"I know," Bella looked down and frowned. "But I just wish you would've told me from the start. I would've been fine with it, and it would've saved all this trouble."

"I know, and I'm _so_ sorry, Bella. I just don't want this to ruin our friendship, because I really like you."

"I like you, too, Alice." Bella placed her hand on mine, giving me an understanding look.

____________________

Things started to get back to normal and, after a few weeks, Bella and I were inseparable again. We hung out after school every day, mostly at her house since she was still feeling weird about Edward. We talked the subject of Edward through. She really opened up to me one night, spilling all her thoughts and feelings about Edward to me. She truly was crushing on him badly. Almost as badly as I was crushing on her, but what can you do? Every once in a while I'd notice her hesitation when we'd get close, but I completely understood. I tried to keep my distance, but I just couldn't help but get nearer to her. My feelings toward Bella were getting stronger, and it was extremely hard to mute them. As shy and innocent as she was, I had the strangest feeling that things would eventually change. For the worse or for the better, I had no idea.

**A/N: Review for more of Jasper's smart-assery!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Huge thanks to **crysross**, **EmmettGirl**, and **Project Team Beta** for helping me perfect this little ditty. They did **big** things for this chapter and I love, love, **love** them! Here's my first EPOV. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I most definitely do not own nor claim to own any of Stephenie Meyer's characters and/or scenarios.

**EPOV**

"Come on, Edward. We've done this a million times. What's your problem?" Tanya asked, pulling the covers over her naked body.

"I guess I'm just not in the mood. I'm sorry," I apologized as I got up and pulled my jeans back on. I searched through the dark to find my shirt, but I couldn't see a thing. I flicked the light switch on and found the holey black tee shirt underneath Tanya's bed.

Tanya sat up and pulled me back onto the bed. "I've been with you long enough to know when something's bothering you. What is it?"

"I don't know, Tanya. I just – I don't know. I'm sorry." I kissed her on the top of her head and walked out the door.

A million things had been running through my head since Bella kissed me, and I just didn't know how to deal with it. It kind of took me by surprise. I mean, I guess I was flirting a little, but it was meant to be innocent. The moment it happened, though, there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to be locking lips with beautiful Bella. Then I realized what I was doing and I had to stop it.

Why would Bella kiss me in the first place? It's not like I'd been throwing her signals or anything. I was in a relationship with Tanya. That much was obvious.

I do have to admit, though, I kind of liked it. The kiss, I mean. Bella's lips were softer than Tanya's. Bella was definitely the better kisser of the two. And that hair – the way it blew in the wind. It was just . . . beautiful. Everything about her was beautiful. _Dude, stop it! You love Tanya. You do love Tanya, right?_ I definitely had some things to think about.

__________________________

The minute I got home I went to my sketchbook, as I did every day. I gently pushed the cover aside and looked through all my recent drawings. The first few pages were rough sketches of scenes in my favorite spot in the woods: trees, rocks, and a little creek that ran through my backyard. The other pages, though, were filled with _her_ face. The way the light always shined upon it was just amazing, like the sun was drawn to it. How could it not be?

The first time I saw her I knew that there was just something about her. She was standing in the parking lot of the high school that first day she arrived at Forks High. I was sitting in my car. Alice wanted to get to school early to meet Irina. I didn't feel like roaming the halls, so I sat in my Volvo and listened to music. Bella just stood there, looking up at the school. She looked lost, but before I could get out and ask her if she needed help, she was slowly pacing in. On that dark and rainy Washington morning, her face was lit up as if the sun were shining right down on her.

Even when the lights were turned off in biology when we had to watch a movie, somehow, her face always glowed. It was amazing and unexplainable, and that definitely made it easier to draw her. Although my sketches would never do her justice, I always felt the need to try. _Why_ did I feel the need to try? Now _that_ would be an impossible question to answer. Bella wasn't even my type.

Either way, the kiss _did_ happen and I needed to re-evaluate things.

First of all, I didn't even know Bella that well. She'd been here, what, a month? There was no way I could _like_ her in that amount of time. We didn't really talk all that much. There were a few conversations in biology and here at home, but I realized that I didn't know her at all. However, I was most definitely attracted to her.

Secondly, there was Tanya. She and I had been dating since the middle of freshman year. We met in art class, of course. I noticed her at the other end of the room, fooling around with her camera. She took pictures of _everything_. I was perfecting her wavy blonde hair in a sketch I was doing of her when she marched right up to me and snapped a picture.

"What are you doing?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the blinding flash.

"You have an interesting face." She smiled.

"Um, thanks. I guess."

"No," she laughed. "It's beautiful. For a boy's face, I mean."

Tanya was pretty outgoing, but all the teasing from other kids weighed that down a little. She moved to Forks from Alaska when high school started. She tried being friends with everyone, but the popular kids harassed her for being "weird," so she stuck with her own crowd: the artists, the Goths, the "freaks."

Anyway, the rest is history, and we've been together since. From what I'd heard, that was a pretty big deal for her. It was a big deal for me, too. I'd fooled around with a girl or two, but I'd never really had a steady girlfriend before we met.

We were both artists – she was big into photography, and I drew and painted. We both liked all the same music. We had both been hassled by all the "popular" kids in school for those facts, as well as the way we dressed. We even dressed the same – always in black.

Lastly, there was the fact that Alice liked Bella. I wasn't blind – I could see what was going on. Alice only talked about Bella about every second of every day. It was obvious that Alice had a thing for Bella. Even though Alice was annoying, she _was_ my sister and I did love her. I just kind of wished that I showed it more often. The only problem with that was that I didn't know how. Alice and I were fraternal twins, metaphorically joined at the hip up until high school.

I suppose there was one thing we shared in common these days, though. That thing was Jasper. We'd met in day care as children and we hit it off right away. I think Alice got jealous since she and I usually did everything together, so she befriended him, too. We used to do everything as a team of three, but now we'd hang out with him separately. I felt kind of bad, tossing him back and forth like he was a child sharing joint custody with his divorced parents. It was the only way it worked, though. Alice was too hyper for me. I could only stand her in small doses. I sometimes wondered how Jasper could take it. Well, he _was_ in love with her, I guess.

Jasper had been in love with Alice before any of us knew what love was. The three of us shared everything together, but Alice was more special to him than that. A person could always tell.

Well, except for Alice, of course. Alice was the only one oblivious to his affection toward her. But, she was a lesbian. I was unaware of this fact until middle school. We were still close then. She never took to the boys that chased her, and I found that a little strange. It was only when I asked her about Tyler Crowley that she came out to me. I'll never forget that day. I sure didn't see it coming. Alice had always been a girly girl. If she never told me she was a lesbian, I probably would've just assumed that she just didn't like anyone in Forks.

Even after all these years, she had yet to tell our parents. I never blamed her for not telling them, though. It would give them another reason to judge and lecture her. _I swear they must get off on lecturing us or something._ I wouldn't have told them, either.

Anyway, I kind of wished she wasn't a lesbian, just so she could put poor Jasper out of his misery, but I guess that's the way life goes.

____________________

"So, Edward, how was school?" my dad asked as he took a bite of the Cobb salad my mother threw together for dinner.

"Same as always, Dad," I replied dryly.

"Have you been handing in extra credit like we talked about?"

"I'm already getting A's in all of my classes. I don't see the point in extra credit."

"Edward, we've discussed this. By handing in extra credit, it shows colleges that you're a model student. How are you supposed to get into Dartmouth if you're not a model student?"

"Here we go," I said under my breath. This happened almost every day. I would get lectures from my parents on how I could better myself. Nothing I ever did was good enough for their sky-high standards.

"Honey, can't this wait until after dinner?" my mom stepped in.

"You're right," my dad said. "How's that girlfriend of yours?"

"Fine," I replied quickly.

"It's getting pretty serious, isn't it?"

"I don't know, Dad," I answered flatly.

"Well, you know, son, you're only in high school. There will be plenty of time for a steady girlfriend later."

"So, what, now you don't like Tanya? Are you ever going to be pleased with _anything_ I do?"

"It's not that we don't like her," my dad started. "We just think you can do much better."

"Great, Dad. First I'm not a model student, and now you want me to break up with my girlfriend?" I snapped, "Well, guess what, Dad? I'm not fucking going to Dartmouth, and I'll fuck whomever I fucking want!" I pounded my fist on the table and stormed away. _Who the hell does he think he is?_

I ran up to my room and packed a bag. On my way out the door, my parents asked me where I was going. I just waved them off and slammed the door behind me. I got in my car and drove to Jasper's. No one judged me there.

When I got to his house, I noticed Alice's car parked in his driveway. In a way, I was kind of happy she was there. She knew how hard our parents were on us, and she could relate a little. On the other hand, though, she'd be all perky. I definitely didn't want perky just then. _Oh well. Just suck it up._

I walked through the front door. We were so close with Jasper and his family that we didn't need to knock anymore. That's what his mom said years ago, anyway. I marched right up to Jasper's room and opened the door. Jasper was sitting on his bed with Alice, and sitting on his desk chair was . . .

"Bella."

_____________________

**A/N:** Review if you want more Edwardy-goodness!


	7. Chapter 6

**BPOV**

"Bella."

I shuddered when he walked into the room and quivered when he said my name. It was embarrassing enough to be rejected by him, but it was worse to have him show up here when I was having a good time with my friends. I pulled my knees up to my chest and lay my head in between them. I peeped up at him through my eyelashes because even though it pained me to see him, I just couldn't look away.

No one said a word. We all just froze. It was awkwardness at its worst. Jasper broke the ice after the longest 30 seconds of my life. I counted.

"Edward. Hey. What – "

"Um. Wha – yeah," Edward stuttered, then turned around and walked out the door. Jasper got up and followed him.

"Bella, do you want to leave? This must be a little uncomfortable for you," Alice said sympathetically.

"Just a little," I said sarcastically, getting up from Jasper's desk chair. "My house, then?"

"As always." Alice smiled and followed me out to her car.

_________________________

"Thanks for the ride, Alice, but I think I'm just going to turn in early."

"Are you sure?" Alice asked sympathetically. "You're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"Well, okay," she agreed hesitantly. "Do you want a ride to school in the morning?"

"No, that's okay. Big rusty over there hasn't been driven in a while," I fake-laughed.

"Well, okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow," Alice said as she reached over the center console of her car to give me a hug.

I got out of the car and watched as she sped away. I glanced in the driveway to see that Charlie wasn't home yet. Another late night at the station. Jake greeted me at the door and I grabbed his leash to take him for a walk around the front yard.

"What do you think of Edward?" I asked him, as if he'd answer. He looked up at me and barked. I laughed and we headed inside and up to my bedroom. I got ready for bed and plopped onto the tangled mess of purple satin that hadn't been straightened in three days. Jake followed.

"I mean, really. What was that all about tonight? He walked into the room, said my name, and then left. What kind of person does that? He didn't say 'hi.' He didn't say anything. Just 'Bella.' I don't know what to do, Jake. I'm so confused. Sure, I kissed him first, but he kissed me back! That _has_ to tell me something. But then when he pulled away and left, I swear, Jake, my heart broke in two." I felt little tears well up in my eyes, and Jake lifted his head up. I choked back the tears and Jake licked my face.

"I'm not going to cry again. It's okay, Jake," I said as I patted his head, and then I crawled under the covers and turned off the lamp next to my bed. Jake hated it when I cried.

_________________________

The next morning was cold and rainy – not unusual for this part of Washington. Winter was approaching all too quickly for my liking. The hot shower felt nice. I was still more used to taking cold showers in Arizona. I suddenly missed my mother and the warm Arizona air. Whether or not that was because of my heartbreak, I knew not.

The school's parking lot seemed a bit emptier that particular day. Everything was gloomy. Even Ms. Cope seemed gloomy. She didn't wave like she usually did when I walked past the office toward my locker. I decided that that day would be forever labeled "Crappy Day." It would be celebrated annually. If I could've gotten away with it, I would've skipped school and sulked in my room. Faked sick or something. But, of course, I was at school like every other day.

"Hey, Bella!" Alice shouted from across the hallway. On the gloomiest of days, Alice _would_ be the only perky human in existence. I lifted my arm in a half-assed wave, and she walked over to me.

"What's wrong with everyone today?" Alice asked me.

"Didn't you get the memo? Today is Crappy Day. We're only celebrating this national holiday appropriately."

"Ha-ha, Bella," Alice said sarcastically. "Seriously, though. You've been acting weird lately. You're not still depressed over the whole Edward thing, are you?"

"It's kind of hard to get over rejection, Alice."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean – "

"I know, Bella. It's okay. I just hate seeing you like this. It's not very becoming of you, you know."

"You of all people should know that I don't really care what's becoming of me or not."

"I know," Alice said sympathetically. "Just snap out of it, okay? I have tons of fun things planned for us in the very near future!"

"Okay," I said, acting like I was fine. Alice gave me a hug and then I walked to my first class.

To be honest, I wasn't sure if I really was going to be okay. I'd never dealt with anything like that before. I'd never been rejected. People always say that life goes on, but how?

Although Edward and I hadn't spent that much time together, I somehow felt this urge – well, more like a connection. Like a strange gravitational pull that I just couldn't fight. It made this whole rejection thing seem ten times more painful.

How does a person get over this so quickly? This was a question I needed to find the answer to quickly, before little Alice beat my ass. Despite her height and feminine demeanor, the girl could throw a punch.

______________________

Lunchtime was now sad for all of us. Edward sat with Tanya now and I noticed how crappy Alice and Jasper felt, although they tried to hide it. I hated making everyone around me feel all awkward. I felt like I should just suck it up and make things go back to normal, but deep down I knew that wasn't possible. Edward now sat at Eric Yorkie's table in biology. It was obvious that he was avoiding me as much as I was avoiding him. I hated it. I hated him for rejecting me. I hated myself for inviting the rejection. It seemed that everything I did just made things worse.

"Bella, you know that's not true," Alice would say. I would never believe her, but she got brownie points for putting forth the effort.

Alice always put forth the effort. She'd go out of her way to make anyone happy. She and I could relate on that level. Surprisingly, we could relate to a lot of things. We really did have a lot in common. I didn't care about fashion like Alice did, but there were other things. We liked a lot of the same music, we liked doing a lot of the same things, but most of all we enjoyed each other's company. Honestly, Alice could find a way to make everything fun, and I deeply admired her for that. She was my hero in many ways. She liked to save me, and I liked to let her. It was comforting having someone there for me all the time. I did like to do things for myself – I'd always been stubborn – but Alice wasn't like the normal kind of hero. She'd let me do those things for myself and then help me fix them when I screwed them up, and I always did screw up. I was the misspelled word and she was the White-Out liquid.

It was even just the little things, too. Every time I'd drop a book on my way to class, she'd be there to pick it up for me. If my locker was jammed, she'd be there to help me open it. When my truck would break down, she'd be there to pick me up.

She saved me almost every day, and it made me look at her in a different light. I think we were more than friends. We were just . . . us. Bella and Alice. Alice and Bella. The un-dynamic, completely messed up, unconventional duo.

**EPOV**

"Edward, wait!" Jasper called to me. I was already down the stairs.

"I have to get the fuck out of here, Jasper," I yelled back.

"Edward," Jasper said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the kitchen. "Just wait a minute."

"What the hell was that, Jazz? Seriously. Can you tell me what I just did in there, because I have no fucking clue," I said, freaking out.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It was just a little awkward, that's all."

"Just a little awkward? I stuttered like a fucking idiot!"

"It's fine, Edward. You have to face her some time. It's a small town, dude."

"I guess. I'm just having such a shitty day, and this doesn't make it any better."

"Wanna talk about it?" Jasper asked sympathetically. We heard Alice and Bella walking down the stairs. The door closed behind them.

"Aw, shit. They didn't have to leave. I should leave, not them. They were here first."

"Don't worry about it, dude. I'll talk to them later. You wanna crash here?"

"Oh, boy! A slumber party," I said sarcastically. Jasper punched me in the arm and I followed him back up to his room.

I sat on his desk chair, where Bella had been just minutes before. I could still feel her body heat radiating on the seat cushion. I swiveled around to face the desk, and there it was – Bella's notebook. I picked it up and started flipping through the pages.

"What's that?" Jasper asked.

"Bella left her notebook here," I said, gulping.

"Well this is your chance, then, dude."

"Say what?" I asked, turning the chair back around.

"Give her back the notebook and then talk to her. You _need_ to talk to her, and you know it."

"I don't know anything," I said, still flipping through the pages. I stopped and gawked when I reached a page in the middle. It was filled with hearts – hearts with my name in them. "Bella Cullen" was written all over the page. I didn't know what to do.

"What the hell are you gaping at? I swear your jaw could reach the floor right now," Jasper said curiously. I threw the notebook to him.

"Whoa, dude," he said, shocked.

"Exactly. What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, I guess she really likes you."

"You think?" I asked mockingly. "That doesn't answer my question."

"I don't know, Edward. This is a really messed up situation. Bella's a good person. I want to tell you to go for it, but that would hurt Alice. Then again, I want to tell you to back off, but that would hurt Bella's feelings. I really can't tell you what to do. I guess it's all on you, but I will tell you that if you hurt your sister I will fucking kill you."

"Do you think that I _want_ to hurt Alice?" I asked angrily. Jasper shrugged and threw the notebook back at me. I stared at the page once more.

"Well, I don't. But I feel this weird, like, pull or something to Bella. I don't think I can stay away from her, man. I really don't." I slammed the notebook closed and threw it back on the desk, signifying my decision. Jasper nodded and it got quiet for a while.

"So what happened today that made it so bad?" he asked me after a few minutes of silence.

"The parental units are riding my ass once again."

"Ah. Sorry to hear that."

"Forget about it," I said, shrugging it off. "I just want to sleep."

_____________________


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Okay, again, I apologize for the length of time between chapters. This one took a lot out of me and I'm really proud of it. As always, this chapter was not possible without crysross and Emmettgirl. I love, love, LOVE the shit out of you two! Special thanks to Emmettgirl for the publicity ;) I really appreciate it!

**Disclaimer:**In no way, shape or form do I own Stephenie Meyer's characters, storyline or anything else she owns.

**BPOV**

"Oh, shit," I called out, looking through my backpack.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked, getting up from my bed.

"I think I forgot my notebook at Jasper's."

"_The_ notebook?" Alice asked mockingly.

"Yes, if you must know, _the_ notebook."

"Weren't you going to throw that away?"

"It's a perfectly good notebook with just a few pages of crap. I was just going to rip out those pages."

"Why haven't you?"

"I don't know, Alice. Can you call Jasper and ask him to bring it to school tomorrow?"

Alice took out her cell phone. "Jazz? Hey, it's me. Bella left one of her notebooks at your house last night. Could you bring it to school tomorrow? Yeah. Thanks, Jazzy! Hey, is Edward still there?" She paused for a moment, listening. "Okay, cool. I was getting a little worried. I told my mom and dad that he was staying at your place, but I wasn't sure. Thank you for taking care of him, Jasper. I really appreciate it. Okay, well, we'll see you tomorrow."

"I take it that he found it?" I asked.

"Yeah, he'll bring it to school tomorrow."

"Cool. I'll get right on shredding those pages." It was silent for a minute. Alice gracefully flopped back on my bed, leaning on her arm.

"So how _do_ you feel about my brother these days?"

"I don't know, Alice. Of course I like him. That's obvious. But he rejected and embarrassed me, and I'm still hurting. I don't know if I'll ever be able to bounce back from that enough to even talk to him."

"But I still talk to you," Alice said, looking down.

"I know and I'm so sorry, Alice. I'll probably spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you."

"Don't be silly, Bella. I'm fine. I was just saying. You and Edward will be the best of friends one day. You'll be looking back and laughing about this silly behavior."

"That's pushing it," I laughed. "Besides, you'll always be my best friend."

______________________

"So you're really going to rip out those pages today?" Alice asked when she picked me up to take me to school the next morning.

"Yes, Alice. I'll shred them, I'll burn them and I'll flush the ashes." I rolled my eyes.

"I just don't believe you," Alice said, wrinkling her eyebrow.

"Come on, Alice. I get it. Edward and I are not gonna happen. There's no sense in keeping a stalker's notebook if said stalker is no longer stalking. It's pointless."

Alice laughed and drove off. Once we got to school, I spotted Jasper standing next to his car. He looked nervous.

"Hey, Jazz!" Alice ran up to him.

"Hey, Alice." Jasper smiled. "Bella, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"What's up?"

Jasper pulled me aside. "Um, I sort of lost your notebook."

"Huh?" I said, staring blankly.

"I don't know, Bella. I set it by the door with my stuff to bring to you and then I went to the kitchen for a minute, and I came back and it was just gone. I'm so sorry."

"You looked at it, didn't you, Jasper? That's why you're so nervous." I accused. He looked down. "What the hell, Jasper?! That's _my_ notebook. _My_ property."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Edward threw it and me and –"

"Wait," I interrupted him. "_Edward_ looked at it?!"

"He saw it lying on the desk and he looked at it. I'm sorry, Bella. I just don't know what could have happened to it. I'm so sorry."

"Oh. My. God. You let _Edward_ look at it?! Oh my God, Jasper," I said, storming away.

Alice chased after me. "Bella, what –"

"Edward saw the notebook, Alice. This is beyond embarrassing, and now the notebook is missing. I have to find it. I have to find _him_. I bet he took it, the bastard." I started running frantically toward the school, pushing my way through the swarm of people crowding the doorway. They were looking at something. They were laughing at what they were looking at. They were looking at _me_ and laughing. _What the hell?_

Posted all over the school's entrance were Xeroxed copies of my notebook's pages, with "Bella Swan – stalker" written below them. This was beyond embarrassing. This was torture. I didn't know what to do. I stood there for a moment, in complete awe. It was like a nightmare. Everyone was pointing at me and laughing. _Would Edward have done this?_

Coming back to the reality of the situation, tears started to well in my eyes. I took off running into the school and found the nearest bathroom. I ran in, slammed the door and began crying my eyes out. _How could he do this after all that he'd already put me through?_

"Bella!" Alice burst through the door and ran to me. "Oh my God, Bella. I'm so sorry."

"I can't believe he would do that to me," I choked out between sobs.

"I ripped down the pages. It'll be okay, Bella. It'll be okay."

She held me in her arms, rocking me and rubbing my back. I cried into her chest until the tears could no longer drop from my eyes. I was sure first period had already started. Maybe even second or third, but I didn't care. I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I was the laughing stock of the school. The last thing I'd ever wanted was attention, but now I was getting the worst kind – from the entire student body.

"Come on," Alice said, pulling me up.

"Alice, I don't want to go. Please, can we just stay here?"

"We're leaving, Bella. I'm taking you away from here."

I followed Alice out to her car. As we passed the entrance of the school, I noticed the pile of ripped up papers in the trashcan. It was raining, washing away the ink on the papers.

We drove for a long time down winding roads. Alice turned down a narrow trail.

"Where are we going?"

"A special place. This trail leads us there."

The opening in the trees was getting smaller and smaller, and we eventually had to come to a stop. The tire marks in the trail disappeared and there was a small dirt path leading up a hill. Alice turned the car off and got out. I promptly followed.

"It's just up the hill," Alice said, taking my hand.

The rain turned into a light mist as we walked slowly up the hill. We spotted a patch of violet wild flowers along the trail. Alice picked one and placed it in my hair. She kicked aside every loose branch that had fallen upon the trail so I wouldn't trip. It made me smile watching her.

Finally we reached an opening in the trees. Alice pulled me through. A bright light was in my eyes, obstructing my view. I placed my hand in the way of the sun to see. It was a huge meadow. Flowers covered the green grass, sparkling in the sun. It was as if the sun were made for this meadow. The tree in the middle of it lightly swayed, as if waving hello. A perfect circle. A perfect place.

I stepped slowly into the meadow, admiring its beauty. It reminded me of Alice in every way: bright, colorful, beautiful. A deer drank from a puddle on the other side. Birds of every kind flew into the trees for sanctuary. Flowers in every color grew in patches, and the grass was plush. It felt like I was walking into a Disney movie.

"What _is_ this place?" I asked in amazement.

"It's my meadow," Alice replied softly. "I found it a few years ago. I come here to just get away sometimes."

"It's beautiful," I said, looking at her.

We found a spot near the tree in the middle of the meadow to sit. Alice lay on the grass, taking in the sunlight. Even her skin sparkled in the light. She closed her eyes and I just watched her. Alice was undeniably beautiful. That much was clear. But there was something more in her, something different. Something kind. Something passionate. She was one in a million.

A strange feeling came over me. I leaned down and placed my face above hers. She opened her eyes.

"Bella, what –" Before she could finish, I tenderly touched her face.

"Alice, I –" I stuttered. "I've never met anyone like you. You're always there to save me whenever I need it, which is often. You're always there for me. You're different … in a good way, of course. I just – I feel that I need to do this." Before she could say anything, I leaned in and placed my lips to hers. For the first time in my life, I felt this strong foreign rush into the depths of my soul.

**A/N:** Review for more foreign feelings! Don't worry – EPOV will be back soon.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Wow. Sorry, again, about being late with this. Miss has been a busy, busy woman! As always, thanks to Emmettgirl. We also have a new beta aboard the Tangled team! Special thanks and a warm welcome to Nevaehell.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters/scenarios dreamed up by Stephenie Meyer.

**EPOV**

"Hurry up, Jazz! It's time to go," I yelled up the staircase. Our bags were by the door, ready to go, and so was I. Today was the day I decided I was going to talk to Bella. I'd have a talk with Alice later, but I needed to speak with Bella first. I was going to give her back her notebook and spill my guts.

"A few more minutes, dude. Chill out," Jasper yelled back.

Annoyed, I leaned against the front door jamb, staring down at _the_ notebook set on top of Jasper's backpack. I went through all possible scenarios in my head. I figured she'd either hate me or love me after I'd given her the speech. Of course, I was going for the latter. I played it all out in my mind. I'd confess everything to her; tell her that she was all I ever thought about. She'd look at me like she always did – shyly – and fall into my arms. I'd break up with Tanya, Alice would be extremely happy for us, and Bella and I would live happily ever after. I picked up the notebook and held it to my chest.

"What you got there?" A familiar, catty voice rang from behind me.

"Leave me alone, Rosalie." I turned around to face the rabid wench.

Rosalie and I had never gotten along. She teased and taunted us all when we were younger, and it had only gotten worse. She and Alice had a thing a few years ago, but I couldn't understand why. Rosalie had always been mean to Alice, too. I don't know. Maybe they were just flirting.

"Aw, poor wittle Eddie-kins is sensitive," she mocked in a childish tone and stalked toward me. I held the notebook tighter.

"Go away, Rosalie. I'm serious. Just leave me alone."

"But what fun would that be? Really. Hey, what is that?" She ran her fingers along the back of the notebook and I yanked it away.

"Ooh. Must be something important," she said as she tried to grab it from my hands. I held the notebook even tighter and started up the stairs before she tackled me and seized it from my gripping hands.

"Give that back!" I yelled.

"Hmm, a mysterious notebook," she said, walking down the stairs, studying it.

"Rosalie, seriously. Just give it back. Please."

"Hmm, let me think about that for a minute. Nope!"

"Please," I begged. "It's not mine."

"Well, let's take a look at whose it is," she said, turning the cover over to reveal the first page.

"Bella Swan. Interesting. Now why would Edward Cullen have Bella Swan's notebook? This certainly is a mystery I'd like to solve."

"Knock it off. Just give it back," I demanded, angrily.

"Touchy, touchy," she teased, still turning the pages. I silently prayed that I'd get to it before she got to the more embarrassing pages. Who knew what she would do if she found them. I took a few steps toward her. She instantly took a few steps back. "No, no, Mr. Cullen. I'm trying to solve a mystery, here."

"Come on, Rosalie. Stop playing games and just hand over the notebook."

"Hm. What's in it for me?" she asked, lifting her curious gaze from the pages and onto me.

"What do you want?"

"Well," she thought. "I could use some new clothes. One outfit costs, say, two hundred dollars."

"Done," I said immediately. "Now give it back."

"Well, well," Rosalie laughed. "There must be some _really_ juicy stuff in here if you're willing to just hand over two hundred dollars in exchange for this little, dinky notebook." She dangled the notebook in front of my face. I reached for it, and she pulled it away.

"Rosalie, we made a deal. I'll get the money to you by lunch if you just give me the notebook right now."

"Hm, no deal." She walked into the kitchen, turning another page.

"Give me back the fucking notebook, you whore!" I shouted, running after her. Of course, she ran into the downstairs bathroom and locked the door.

"You fucking slut!" I pounded on the door.

"Name calling is going to get you nowhere, dear Edward," she said softly from the other side.

I banged my head on the door numerous times. This was getting out of hand. I didn't know what to do. She was going to see everything and do something – something terrible. There was nothing I could do but wait. Tears formed at the corners of my eyes at the thought of it.

"Well looky here," Rosalie called out. "Mrs. Bella Cullen. Bella + Edward = love. I love Edward Cullen."

"Stop it, Rosalie. Just stop," I nearly cried.

"Looks like Ms. Swan has a little crush." I could hear her faint laughing through the thick door.

"Okay, Rosalie, that's enough. Just come out and give me the notebook. You've already seen what I was trying to hide. Just give it up." I pounded once again.

"And why were you trying to hide this?" Rosalie asked. "Oh, _oh_, I see. Little Edward loves Bella back. Now _this_ is the most interesting part. Now what are we going to do about this? Oh, I have a great idea!"

"Don't do anything, Rosalie! I'm warning you!"

"What are you going to do about it, Edward? Get your army of Goths to cast a spell on me? Oh, that's right. You won't have an army after word of this gets out. Tanya will dump your sorry ass and you'll be all alone. Bella will be humiliated and will also hate you. You'll be all alone." She laughed as she walked out of the bathroom, sliding the notebook down her wide v-neck shirt so I couldn't get to it. "I love being evil."

____________________

"Jasper!" I yelled as I ran up the stairs. "Jasper, you fucking ass!"

I pounded on the door of the upstairs bathroom until he finally opened it. I honestly thought my fist was going to go right through the thing.

"Jasper, your fucking sister!" Tears were really forming in my eyes this time.

"Whoa, Edward. What the hell is wrong?"

"Did you not hear me screaming and yelling down there? She took the fucking notebook and she fucking left and she's going to fucking do something and it's all my fault," I frantically babbled, choking back the enormous lump in my throat. I felt sick to my stomach.

"Wait – Rosalie has the notebook?!"

"No shit, Sherlock. She fucking took it. She's going to do something and everyone's going to see it!"

"Edward, this isn't good."

I couldn't take it anymore. I walked into Jasper's room and sat on the floor, leaning my back against his bed. The tears started flowing and I put my head in my hands.

"Bella's going to be humiliated, Jasper, and she'll hate me."

"Hate you? She doesn't even know you saw it. She'll hate me! Alice will hate me! Fuck, Edward. How would Rosalie get the fucking notebook?"

"She just took it from me. She took it, locked herself in the bathroom and read it. Then she just slid it down her shirt and left. She's going to show everyone, Jasper. I don't know what to do." I sat and thought for a moment. "I can't go to school. I have to go. Fuck, Jasper. Please tell them I'm sorry."

"Well I can't go either, now, Edward. Fuck, man!"

"You _have_ to go. You have to tell them what happened. I just – I have to go." I got up, grabbed my backpack from the foyer and took off. I didn't know where I was going, but I couldn't go to school. I couldn't go home, either. I just had to go . . . somewhere, anywhere. It didn't matter, as long as it wasn't here.

**A/N: **Review for more (or less, whichever you prefer) rabid wenchiness!


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: I've gotten back into the groove of this story, which is a good thing. For a while, I just didn't feel like it. It felt like a chore. I've got a lot in store for this, though, and I'm glad to share it with you all! Huge thanks to Nevaehell and Emmettgirl, as always! Nevaehell is new to this story, and she's doing the most wonderful job so far.**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own any of Stephenie Meyer's characters and/or made-up scenarios. **

**BPOV**

_Amazing. Just amazing. _

That was the only way I could describe how I felt. It was like I got this adrenaline rush in the meadow. It was magic, the kiss. Alice's lips were soft and supple, warm and fiery, and everything I'd imagined them to be. And, yes, I did imagine them. Although the kiss was more spur-of-the-moment, I'd briefly considered being with Alice. I wondered what it'd be like. I guess I'd soon find out.

Neither of us spoke a word after the kiss. We just lay there in the meadow, holding each other. We fell asleep for a while, and then stared into one another's eyes when we awoke. It was like a silent conversation between the two of us. I knew what she was thinking, and she knew what I was thinking. There was a connection, a spark, a bond between us. I could feel it, and I _knew_ that she had to. How could she not? It was apparent: we were "together" now, whatever that meant, and there was no going back. Not that I wanted to go back. I felt safe in the meadow with Alice. It was no longer Alice's place to hide. It was _our_ place to hide.

When it was time to leave, Alice pulled me off the ground, still no words spoken. We held hands, walking down the path, back to the car. We'd held hands before, but this time it was different. Our fingers intertwined, her thumb caressed my hand, and mine caressed hers back. It was a mutual understanding. I knew I wanted her, and she didn't pressure me into any kind of commitment. Not yet, anyway. We both knew that words would just ruin the moment.

On the drive home, our hands had to bid adieu to one another's, but only because Alice's Porsche was a manual. That was unfortunate, but I'm sure she enjoyed my embracing her thigh. I wanted to pounce on her, to hug her, to hold her, to kiss her some more, but we would've gotten in a car crash. I wished we were invincible. I wanted to tell her to pull over, but I didn't. I just smiled like a crazy fool. I smiled and I gazed at her. She'd look over at me once in a while, but her eyes were mostly on the road. I envied the road for her attention. I wanted to stare into her eyes more. It was like her eyes held a vision of things to come; wonderful, beautiful, passionate things to come. I looked for an answer, a definite possibility of things to come, but I supposed only our actions held that.

She drove slowly that day. Not normal slow, but Alice slow: a few miles over the speed limit. It was then that I realized nothing would ever be the same. That fact didn't make me freak out like usual, though; it excited me.

When we reached my house, she took my hand in hers and stared into my eyes, which were already focused on her sharp, green orbs. With her other hand, she touched my face. She leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, but her lips lingered for the longest time. I wasn't complaining. My eyes instinctively closed and let my other senses do the work. Her lips were soft, sensual and sweet-smelling. I noticed cherry scented lip gloss. I'd never bothered with the stuff, myself. Today, though, I longed to kiss her lips again, just so the lip gloss would rub off on mine. I wanted to taste it. I wanted the sticky red to graze my lips again, but I just let Alice do her thing.

We hugged for a while, our heads resting upon one another, before I got out of the car. The rain had picked up into a full-on thunderstorm and the sky was already dark – we must've been in the car for a while. I enjoyed it, though. I stood outside in the storm and watched Alice drive off. She didn't peel out like she usually did.

_______________

"Your school called," Charlie stated, annoyed, hands on hips, as I walked in the door.

"I don't want to talk about it, Dad." I started toward the stairs.

"Isabella Swan, don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you."

"Dad, please. I had a rough morning. Just, please, right now, let me be."

"Well, I'm going to have to ground you for skipping school."

"Fine. Whatever. I'm going to my room."

As I ran up the stairs, I heard Charlie say, "Well, that was easy," to himself. I chuckled a little.

I threw myself and my backpack onto my bed. I had to hide the goofy grin from Charlie because even though the morning was tough, the rest of the day was like a dream. I didn't want to have to tell him about either part. Parents never understood anything. Plus, I didn't want Charlie to be even more awkward around me, thinking his only daughter was a lesbian. But wait … _Was_ I a lesbian?

Just as I began to explore that thought, the phone rang. I answered.

"Hello?"

"I was just thinking about you," Alice chimed.

"Hey, Alice," I sighed.

"Can I come over?"

"Alice, you just dropped me off."

"I know, but it's so boring here. Also, if Edward comes home I'll probably murder him for what he did. Fucking creep. So, can I?"

"I'll ask, but Charlie says I'm grounded. Hold on."

I put the phone down and walked into the hallway, to the top of the stairs.

"Dad, can Alice come over?" I yelled down to him.

Charlie walked up the first few steps, so he was in sight. "You're grounded, remember?"

"Well, typically, me being grounded means I have to stay in my room. If Alice came over, I'm pretty sure we'd stay in my room."

"Hmm," Charlie grunted, stumped, and scratched his head. "Well, I guess it'd be fine with me if she came over."

I ran back to my room and grabbed the phone excitedly. "You can come over!"

I heard a quick, faint squeal before the line went dead.

_______________

Exactly three minutes and thirty six seconds later, Alice burst through the door. She rarely ever bothered knocking or ringing the doorbell anymore. She greeted Charlie with a quick "Hi!" before hop-dancing up the steps like she always did. I waited for her on my bed, and she quickly shut the door behind her and joined me. I wasn't really sure what to say, so I hugged her. We sat there for a while, cross-legged, holding each other.

"Alice," I interrupted our comfortable silence. "Am I a lesbian?"

She let go of me and sat up straight, looking at me like I just asked her what the square root of pi was – something she would know nothing about. "What?"

"Well, I kissed you. I like you, and you're obviously of the female persuasion, so does that make me a lesbian?"

She laughed hysterically for about ten minutes. "No, Bella," she barely said through her amusement. I laughed with her, not because of my obviously idiotic question, but because her laughter was contagious.

After the hysteria subsided into a few random chuckles, Alice placed her hand on my arm and smiled. "I'm glad you like me, though."

"Honestly, Alice, how could anyone not? You're smart, beautiful, sweet, funny. I could go on forever. You're basically perfect."

"I'm far from perfect, Bella. Trust me." The fact that she was so oblivious to the fact that she indeed _was_ perfect completely befuddled me. I mean, really, how could she _not_ know she was perfect? She being was too modest for her own good. Everything she ever did was done with precision and just… perfection. She could roll in the mud and still be elegant.

"Well, _I_ think you're perfect."

"I am not," she said, hitting my shoulder playfully.

I hit her lightly back, and we continued playing and tickling each other until I was rolling on the bed laughing, and she had me pinned down. She stopped tickling me and held my hands above my head. She had that look in her eyes – the look that told me she was going to kiss me. I closed my eyes, expectantly, and it happened. Her lips gently pressed into mine, caressing them tenderly. She held them there momentarily, and then softly parted my lips with her tongue. My wanting tongue begged my lips to obey, and they did. Alice massaged her tongue against mine passionately, like a ballet, and the only thing I could think about was how her skin felt. Her arms were like satin. I wanted to touch her, but she still held my hands securely above my head.

I wiggled my wrists a little, but she wouldn't let go. She only pressed down on them harder, and did the same with her tongue. I felt a little suffocated. I tried to get her off me. She wouldn't budge.

"Alice." I turned my head to its side and she stopped. "I'm new at this. Can we take things a little slower?" I didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her feel bad, but my wrists and my mind just couldn't take it anymore. I was suffocating. I was scared. I was aroused. I didn't want it to stop, but, then again, I did. I almost regretted saying anything.

"Oh," she giggled and released my wrists. "Sorry. Just got caught up in the moment, I guess."

I patted the spot next to me on the bed, and she lay down. I still wanted to touch her, so, this time, I did. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Her tiny body held almost as much warmth as a crackling fire in winter. I thought about how comforting she was, and, before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, the sun was shining through my bedroom window, nearly blinding me. Alice was nowhere to be found. The smell of freshly made coffee and pancakes floated up the stairs, making me stretch out my stiff muscles. I sleepily followed the aroma into the kitchen, where I found Alice sitting at the table with Charlie.

"Bella, you're awake!" Alice immediately rose from her chair to get me a plate of pancakes.

"Alice is a great cook," Charlie praised.

"Oh, stop it, Charlie. Have some, Bella!"

I smiled, sitting down on my usual chair at the small table. Alice brought me my coffee, and I eagerly took a sip before digging into Alice's special breakfast.

"Mm, these _are_ good."

"Cinnamon and vanilla," Alice said, proudly. "My mom taught me the recipe. It was always my favorite."

Alice sat next to me, and watched Charlie and I finish our breakfast. It was a little awkward, honestly. All I wanted to do was to talk to Alice about everything that was happening. I was nervous, excited, fidgety, and Charlie was sitting right in front of us. I hurried through the pancakes – as much as I wanted to savor them – and quickly cleaned my plate off.

"Alice, let's go work on our homework."

"On a Saturday morning? Wha– oh. Okay."

"The pancakes were really good, Alice. Thanks a lot," Charlie said, taking his last bite and patting his stomach. "I have to run off to work, so, Bella, you need to let Jake out when he needs to go. Let him run around a little – he's been cooped up in this house for days."

"Sure thing, Dad."

As soon as we got up to my room, Alice tackled me and tried to kiss me.

"Eew, Alice. I have morning breath."

"Your breath smells like vanilla and cinnamon, Bella. It's fine," she said, settling for a peck on the cheek.

"We need to talk about this. I need to know what's going on. I'm dying, here. I'm confused, I'm excited, I'm nervous. Did you _see_ me fidgeting at the table?"

"Yeah," Alice laughed. "It was cute."

"Come on, Alice. What's really happening?"

"It's not a big deal, Bella. I like you, you like me. We could carouse in public like this, or not. It's really up to you, but I've liked you for a while. You know that. It doesn't matter to me what we do, as long as we can do this." She wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me in for a hug.

"I like you, Alice, but we need to slow things down. I'm not used to any of this, let alone with a woman. I don't want to stop doing this, but could you just tone it down a little? I'm a little scared."

"Scared of what?"

"I don't know. Everything." I really _was_ afraid of everything. All my life I've been too scared to dive in. I really wanted to just take the plunge right there, but there was just something holding me back. I didn't know how to explain it.

"We don't have to go public if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to. I just – I don't know. I just need to take things one step at a time. For now, I'd rather not be all PDA."

"That's perfectly fine with me. Could you do me just one favor, though?"

"Anything."

"Let me call you my girlfriend in private."

**N/A: Review for more cinnamon and vanilla pancakes! **

**Oh, and a heads up: EPOV next. I know you love it ;)**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Well, here it is…EPOV! I've also written my first JPOV. I'm not sure if it'll be the last, but let's hope not. I'm kind of starting to like 'ol Jazzy. Anyway, HUGE thanks to the wonderful Nevaehell and Emmettgirl. They're both the glue that holds this story together. If it weren't for them, this story would suck ass (if it doesn't already). Anyway, be kind and rewind, and all that good stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't claim to own any of Stephenie Meyer's characters or anything else that she owns and/or has copyrighted. Also, don't plagiarize my story because I beta for a lawyer ;) **

**EPOV**

_Fuck. _

I wasn't sure if Alice would be home or not, though I prayed she wouldn't be. She'd kick my ass for letting Rosalie get a hold of that notebook. I wasn't sure I even wanted to know what she'd done with it. Whatever she did, though, it was bad. Alice was probably with Bella – or maybe Bella was at our house.

_Fuck._

I decided to turn around. I had no idea what to do or where to go. I'd already been to Port Angeles. When I got bored driving around there for a few hours, I went to Seattle. The city usually cleared my head, but it didn't work too well this time. I stayed until dark, grabbed a coffee at one of the millions of small coffee shops around, and headed back home. It was about ten o'clock by the time I was close. I thought about sleeping in my car. That's probably what I'd do. I didn't want to go to Jasper's, for fear of finding out what Rosalie had done.

I started toward Tanya's house. I thought maybe I could get some comfort there. She lived about a block away from Jasper, so I was careful about where I parked. I didn't want him to see me. I just wanted some peace and quiet.

Tanya answered the door when I rang the bell, and we walked up to her room. "Where've you been all day, Mr. Popular?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Everyone at school is talking about you and that Swan girl. She has a huge crush on you. You missed it. It was pretty hilarious."

"God damn it. What happened?" _Here it comes._ I leaned my head against the door jamb, ready to bang my head against it. I was sure that the physical pain would feel better than whatever Rose had done to humiliate Bella.

"There were pages from her notebook posted all over the walls. 'I love Edward Cullen. Mrs. Edward Cullen. Bella Cullen.' It was pretty funny. I do have to admit, though … I was a little jealous. It seems my boyfriend is the hot ticket around town." She walked over to me and touched my back.

_Fuck! How could Rosalie fucking do something so stupid?! She's going to fucking die. I'll make fucking sure of it. Fuck!_

Tanya leaned in to kiss me. I turned way.

"Don't." I shrugged her presence away from me. The last thing I wanted right now was to be touched. I was ready to punch a whole in her goddamn wall.

"What the fuck is the matter with you lately, Edward?" I could feel Tanya's glare burning a hole in my back.

"Nothing," I sighed. "Everything."

"Wait a minute… you're not into this Swan chick, are you?" she asked almost jokingly.

I didn't say anything. Then I felt something hit my head.

"Fuck, Tanya." It was a pillow.

"Fuck _you_, Edward. You like Bella."

"I don't know what I want, Tanya. Just take it easy." She whipped about five more pillows at me before I could get her to calm down. Then she started to cry.

"You said you loved me." She completely collapsed back onto her bed.

"I did… I do."

"Well which is it?" She looked up at me through mascara-smudged eyes. It broke my heart to see her that way after all we'd been through together. I used to think she was the one. I wasn't so sure now.

I looked down, trying to think of something to say. Nothing came.

"I think I have your answer. You need to leave now."

"Tanya, please don't do this. Neither of us needs this right now. You're just making it harder."

"_I'm_ making it harder? Edward, I can see what's happening. You don't know what you want, which is fucked up in the first place, but I'm not going to sit here like some fucking bimbo waiting for you to take me back when Bella doesn't want you."

"You're right. I'm sorry. All you've done was love me for years, and I thought that was what I was doing, but I was wrong. I'll leave now."

I gathered myself, after having been hit numerous times by flying objects, and turned the doorknob.

"Oh, and by the way," Tanya said smugly, "I fucked Eric Yorkie last month. I felt a little bad about it then, but I'm over it now."

_Fucking Bitch. _

_______________

**JPOV**

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._

My hands writhed as I waited for Edward to pound the crap out of my front door. I was looking out my bedroom window when I saw his car drive past my house. He parked far down the street, and went to Tanya's house. I never understood why he was with her. She'd always been bitchy, obsessive and just plain weird. I mean, I guess her and her friends were part sort of outcasts like us, but they were just different… Goths. Sometimes I wondered if she put some kind of voodoo spell on him or something.

I felt two tons of metaphorical bricks float off my shoulders when I saw him speed past my house. I guess he didn't find out that I hadn't gotten a chance to tell Alice that it wasn't Edward who'd taken the notebook. I didn't know what she thought. She and Bella disappeared as soon as the incident happened. I tried calling her cell, but it was turned off. She probably thought it was Edward. _Shit._

What happened was typical Rose. She'd always been a fucking bitch… a _spoiled_ fucking bitch. Our parents gave Rose whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. I supposed that was what turned her into the rotten person she was today. She used people to get what she wanted. Our parents always gave in. I could've been spoiled, too, I suppose, but I'd always been a simple kind of guy. All I needed was a roof over my head and some food. Material things didn't matter to me.

However, material things did matter to Alice, and I'd learned to accept that a long time ago. Although my parents weren't rich, they had enough money to give me a good amount of Christmas money. That money always went toward Alice's Christmas present. Last year I'd gotten her this bracelet I'd seen her eyeing… hundreds of dollars for one little bracelet. I didn't understand it, but the look on Alice's face when she opened it made it all worth it.

It wasn't a secret that I was in love with Alice and had been since the day I met her. How could I not be? She was beautiful, smart, fun, passionate, caring, unique… there weren't enough words to describe her. Anyway, everyone knew about my feelings, except for Alice. I was always so transparent, and I didn't know how she could _not_ know. Of course, she was a lesbian. Maybe straights and gays are on two different wavelengths. Who knows?

At first, when she "came out", I thought it was a joke. We were in middle school. How could a twelve or thirteen year old know they were gay? I didn't even completely know myself when I was thirteen. I _still_ wasn't sure if I completely knew myself. I guess they do say women develop faster than men.

Either way, I knew I loved Alice, and Edward was going to shoot me dead with his dad's Civil War Colt .44 revolver.

_Shit._

**A/N: Review and ask nicely for more JPOV! **

**P.S. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers! I love you guys.**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter has been sitting around in my documents folder for quite a while. Way too long, actually... due to issues with a beta that still haven't really been resolved, but whatever. You shouldn't have to pay for that, so ****I**** present to you a chapter that I'm not completely happy with. Special thanks to Charlotte, aka Emmettgirl, for putting up with my picky, whiny crap. If it weren't for her, this chapter wouldn't exist at all. Anyway, without further ado, finally, here is chapter eleven. Don't be too hard on me!**

APOV

"This'll be the end of life as you know it."

Bella sat down, wide-eyed and full of wonder and bewilderment. I looked at her seductively, bringing her a giant cup of white chocolate mocha from my favorite little café in Seattle. It was set in a shady part of town, but it was out of place. The decoration and lighting seemed like something out of Italy. The walls were terra cotta, the lamps were antique, and every table and every chair was different. It was beautiful and sophisticated.

I watched excitedly as she hesitantly sipped from the mug, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh my god, Alice," she said, taking a second and third sip.

"I told you! It's orgasmic."

"Okay, we're coming to Seattle more often."

Bella nearly chugged down that giant mug of my favorite drink, and then went to order another.

"Bella, you should probably slow down. The froth messes with your stomach if you have too much."

"I don't care, Alice. This stuff is amazing. It shouldn't even be legal, but since it is, I need my fill."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

I was only halfway through my mug when she'd finished her second.

"Can I have one to go?" Bella called out to the middle-aged woman behind the counter.

"You can have whatever you want, hon."

I rolled my eyes as Bella got up to pay the woman.

It was an exceptionally nice day in Seattle, for winter. The sun was shining, although a light mist was forming, and there wasn't much snow on the ground. Bella needed a happy day, so I decided to take her shopping for winter clothes. Well, for me, too, of course.

We walked around for hours, and I dragged her into every shop I could find. By the time we'd finished, Bella had gotten two sweaters and three pairs of jeans. I, on the other hand, filled the trunk of my car with bags.

As soon as we were both in the privacy of the yellow Porsche, I took her hand. Bella was reluctant about a public relationship, which was… whatever. I kind of understood. It made me kind of feel like crap that she didn't want people to know that we were together, but I suppose it didn't matter as long as we _were_ together. She'd agreed to be my girlfriend… in private.

We were a little more than halfway back to Forks before I heard Bella's belly juices swim wild and she let go of my hand. Her hands flew to her stomach and she gasped.

"I told you, Bella."

"Shut up and drive, Alice! Faster! I need to go home NOW!"

"Wow. Bella Swan, the police chief's daughter, telling _me_ to drive faster when I'm already going ten over the speed limit. I'm surprised."

"Alice, please! I'm going to explode if you don't get me home in less than five minutes!"

I laughed hysterically as she groaned and glared at me, but I obeyed and jolted the Porsche into over drive. I was going over 100 miles per hour because I figured I'd better get my kicks while I still could.

"Alice, what in the _hell_ are you doing?!" Bella screamed as I turned into my driveway.

"Do you really want to wait to get that coffee out of your system? I can turn around, but I do have to drive slower through town to get to your house. Your choice."

"Fine," she gritted through her teeth. "Just drive."

"Damn it," I said, spotting Edward's car parked by the garage. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, but I refuse to let you crap your pants in my car. He'll probably be in his room, so we might be able to steer clear of him. If we see him, you run to the bathroom and I'll just murder him while you're doing your business."

"Fine, but keep me out of it. I'm just an innocent bystander that had to use the bathroom," she said sarcastically as she hopped out of the car and ran frantically into the house. I followed slowly, ready to pounce when the traitor showed his face.

I walked up the stairs and into my room, and he was nowhere to be seen.

"Alice, get out of here!" Bella screamed from inside my en suite bathroom.

"It's not a big deal, Bella. Everyone does it," I shouted back.

"I'm _not_ pooping with you in hearing distance!"

"Fine," I yelled, shutting my bedroom door as I walked into the hallway.

I couldn't help but glare at Edward's door. The prick had the _gall_ to come back home. He had no idea what was coming if…

His door opened and he stepped into the hallway. I could feel the veins in my neck start to pulsate, and I literally felt my face turn the color of a tomato on fire. That's right. My face felt like a freaking tomato on fire.

"Hey, Alice," he said like nothing had happened. _Smug prick._ I just glared.

He walked toward me, donning those stupid ripped baggy jeans and a holey Nirvana tee shirt. How could a person think they looked good dressed like that? His serious lack of fashion sense angered me more.

He must've been able to tell I was mad because his steps got slower. I was so angry, I couldn't even move. My fists were tightened into balls, and I was ready to start swinging.

"Alice, are you alright?" he asked. He was within punching distance now. "Alice? Hello… Earth to Alice."

Just as I was about to swing, guns blazing, Bella walked out of my room. I turned to her, face red with anger, and eyes full of shock. I didn't know what to do then. I didn't know what _she_ was going to do then. Her eyes opened wide when she saw Edward standing in front of me. Her face turned beet red.

Before I knew what was happening, Bella leapt like a tiger and pummeled him. Maybe "pummeled" is a bad choice of wording. She down-right whomped Edward. She knocked him to the ground, and started slapping him in the head. I didn't really know what to do. I kind of wanted to laugh because the sight of it was so funny, but I had to break it up. I pulled Bella off him and held her back. Edward looked dumbfounded, slowly getting up. Bella was crying.

"What the hell, Bella?" he asked stupidly. His hair was muddled more than usual after the encounter.

"Wrong question, asshole," I shouted. I wanted to get one punch in, but something was holding me back. Bella tried getting out of my grip to get a few more in, too, but I held her tight. Although I hated to admit it, violence was never the answer.

"Would someone tell me what the _fuck_ is going on?"

"Come on, Bella," I said, turning away, leading her toward the stairs, but she got out of my grip.

"Edward," she cried. "You don't deserve my speaking to you, but I just need to know one thing. How could you?"

"How could I what, Bella? I don't know what the fuck is going on here. I thought Jasper told you."

"Tell me what, Edward? That you're a life-ruiner? That you deliberately go out of your way to hurt innocent people?"

"Bella, I didn't—"

"It doesn't matter. You _humiliated_ me, Edward. You didn't care that they would all laugh at me and say mean things to me. You didn't care about my feelings at all. People like you are all the same. All you care about is yourself and _your_ needs and y_our_ wants. You'll step on anyone that gets in the way. Well guess what, Edward? I'm not a fucking stepping stone."

"But I didn't do it!"

"Spare me the lies. Just get out of my life and leave me alone."

Wiping the tears from her cheek, she walked back to me. She took my hand and pulled me down the stairs after her.

**BPOV**

It hurt. It _really_ hurt, but it had to be done. I knew I'd see him sooner or later, but I didn't know what I'd do. I surprised the hell out of myself, though. I don't know what I was thinking. My body just moved before I could think about anything. One minute, I was standing in Alice's doorway, post-crap, the next I was on top of Edward, slapping the hell out of him. Okay, _that_ part felt pretty good.

My face was still beet-red, partly from being extremely angry and partly from embarrassment. I still can't believe I shat in Alice's bathroom. I've always had this thing about pooping in other places besides my place of residence. I can't do it. I get stage fright, or something. That coffee, though… it's an evil temptress.

Anyway, I said what needed to be said, and I was relieved. Still pissed, still hurt, still humiliated, but nonetheless relieved.

"I'm so sorry," Alice whispered, probably afraid to break the ice.

"Alice, don't. It's not your fault. None of this was your fault." My tears had already dried, and I could feel the red slowly fading from my cheeks.

"I shouldn't have brought you to my house. I should've just driven to your house, but you looked so miserable, I just couldn't take seeing you like that. But now you look even more miserable, and I'm just so sorry, Bella. You don't have to forgive me. I probably wouldn't forgive me."

"You're forgiven, Alice. Just forget about it. I will not, however, forgive you for the coffee." I chuckled and nudged her.

"Hey," she laughed, "I warned you."

A/N: Review for more. I know I'm not worthy of it, but I'd be extremely grateful. Also, it'd motivate me to get to the good stuff!


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